The November 7-10 Economist/YouGov Poll finds that Americans are divided about the fairness of their states' congressional-district boundaries. Many would prefer for districts to be drawn by an independent commission rather than state legislatures. When districts in a state are drawn to favor one party over another, more believe it is justified than unjustified for other states to retaliate by drawing their districts to favor the other party.
- About as many Americans say their own state's congressional districts are drawn unfairly as say they're drawn fairly (32% vs. 31%)
- Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to view congressional districts in their state as fair (36% vs. 32%) and less likely to view them as unfair (27% vs. 38%)
- Half (50%) of Americans would prefer for an independent commission to draw congressional districts in their state; 19% say the state legislature should
- More Democrats than Republicans would prefer that their congressional districts be drawn by an independent commission (59% vs. 41%) and less would prefer the state legislature (17% vs. 27%), but among both groups there is a strong preference for an independent commission
- In situations where one state redraws its congressional districts to give one party an advantage, 41% of Americans say other states would be justified in retaliating and redrawing their districts to benefit the other party; 28% say they would not be justified. Democrats are nearly twice as likely as Republicans to say that this type of retaliation is justified (58% vs. 32%)
Learn more about this poll here.
Image: Getty (Tasos Katopodis / Stringer)
