California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to amend the state constitution and redraw five Republican-held districts in favor of Democrats is proving unpopular with voters, according to a new poll.
Newsom announced the plan last month as “retaliation” against GOP-led redistricting in Texas, which eliminated five Democratic-leaning House districts. Critics note the move would reduce California’s Republican-controlled districts to just four out of 52, despite Republicans winning 40% of the statewide vote in 2024. By comparison, the proposed Texas maps would give Democrats 21% of seats after winning 42% of the vote.
The changes would require a constitutional amendment and a November special election. But a poll of 1,445 registered voters conducted by the UC Berkeley Citrin Center, the Possibility Lab, and Politico found most Californians are not persuaded by Newsom’s claims that Texas Republicans engaged in “election rigging.”
The poll showed 64% of Californians support keeping the current system, while only 36% favor Newsom’s proposed redraw — leaving the plan 28 points underwater with voters.
“It’s not surprising, in the sense that California has voted twice for this independent review commission not all that long ago,” said Jack Citrin, a veteran political science professor at UC Berkeley and partner on the survey.
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“And there’s a lot of mistrust and cynicism about politicians and the Legislature. That’s reflected here as well,” he added.
Independents were the most opposed to the proposed changes, with 72% favoring the current system. Support for the independent redistricting commission was also strong among both parties, with 66% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans backing it.
“That surprised me a little bit, given that this is being pushed so heavily by Newsom and by the Democratic Party nationally that we have to combat Texas,” Citrin said.
California Democrats assert they have no plans to eliminate the independent redistricting commission.
“Instead, they plan to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would put new maps approved by the Legislature in effect for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 election cycles,” Politico reported.
