Prepared by: Lake Research Partners 1000 BROADWAY SUITE 294 OAKLAND, CA 94607 PHONE: 510-286-2097...

WWW.LAKERESEARCH.COM

Prepared by:Lake Research Partners

1000 BROADWAY

SUITE 294

OAKLAND, CA 94607

PHONE: 510-286-2097

FAX: 510-286-2022

1726 M St., NW

SUITE 500

WASHINGTON, DC 20036

PHONE: 202-776-9066

FAX: 202-776-9074

Survey Findings on Redistricting Reformin California

This redistricting poll is supported in part by

The James Irvine Foundation

Redistricting in CaliforniaWWW.LAKERESEARCH.COM

Summary Description of Methods

Interview dates: April 18-23, 2006

800 interviews from a random sample of voters in California, margin of error +/- 3.5%

Party Registration Breakdown: 45% Democrat, 39% Republican, 16% Decline to state/Other.

Racial Breakdown: 66% White, 16% Latino, 7% African-American, 5% Asian, 5% other.


By a 3-to-1 margin, California voters prefer redistricting be done by an independent commission.

Would you rather have redistricting conducted by the State Legislature, or an independent commission?

21%

66%

13%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

State Leg. Ind. Comm. (Don't Know)


While Republican and Independent voters are most supportive, a majority of Democrats also prefer an independent commission.

21%

66%

28%

55%

15%

68%

14%

77%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Total Dem. Ind. Rep.


State Leg.

Ind. Comm.


Majorities of white, Latino, and African American voters prefer an independent commission.

21%

66%

17%

71%

25%

50%

30%

56%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Total White Black Latinos


State Leg.

Ind. Comm.


There is a solid preference for an independent commission across the state. The strongest preference is seen in Fresno and Sacramento.

21%

66%

27%

62%

15%

69%

21%

68%

18%

69%

23%

63%

12%

83%

18%

72%

19%

60%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Total L.A. Co. Orange Co. InlandEmpire

San Diego Cen. Coast Fresno Sacramento Bay Area


State Leg.

Ind. Comm.


A plurality of voters in the sample voted against Prop. 77 in 2005.

I’d like to talk for a second about last year’s special election in California, where voters considered several ballot initiatives. One of them, Proposition 77, would have amended the process for redistricting California’s Senate, Assembly, and Congressional districts. It required a panel of three judges, selected by legislative leaders, to adopt a new redistricting plan. Do you recall whether you voted for or against Proposition 77 – the redistricting initiative?

37%42%

19%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Voted For Voted Against (Don't Know)


Even those who voted NO on Prop. 77 support the concept of an independent redistricting commission.

21%

66%

7%

89%

31%

53%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Total For Prop. 77 Against Prop. 77


State Leg.

Ind. Comm.


The most important criteria for members of the commission are having no lobbyists, having a partisan balance, and no current elected officials.

5%

10%

12%

13%

13%

80%

73%

63%

59%

58% 4.1

4.1

4.5

4.5

4.2

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

26.SHOULD NOT BELOBBYISTS

A22.SHOULD HAVE ABALANCE OF REPS, DEMS,

AND IND

A24.SHOULD NOT HOLD ANYELECTED POLITICAL OFFICE

B23.SHOULD BEPOLITICALLY INDEPENDENT

A27.SHOULD NOT BEALLOWED TO RUN FOR

OFFICE: 3 YEARS

"5" Very Important "4-5" Somewhat Important

Now, suppose for a minute that the law was changed so that California’s legislative district lines would be drawn by an independent commission. This commission would be made up of a panel of individuals. I would like to read you a list of characteristics this group could have. For each characteristic I read to you, I would like you to rank it on a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 means that characteristic is not important at all, and 5 means that characteristic is very important. If you are not sure, please say so.

Mean

85%

83%

75%

72%

71%


Voters feel less strongly about members of the commission having experience in redistricting or never having held political office.

19%

16%

11%

17%

12%

51%

49%

47%

34%

29% 3.1

3.5

3.8

4.0

3.7

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

20.SHOULD REFLECTGEOGRAPHICDIVERSITY

19.SHOULD REFLECTETHNIC / RACIAL

DIVERSITY

B28.SHOULD NOT BEALLOWED TO RUNFOR OFFICE: 10

YEARS

21.SHOULD HAVEEXPERIENCE INREDISTRICTING

B25.SHOULD NEVERHAVE HELD ANY

ELECTED POLITICALOFFICE

"5" Very Important "4-5" Somewhat Important

Now, suppose for a minute that the law was changed so that California’s legislative district lines would be drawn by an independent commission. This commission would be made up of a panel of individuals. I would like to read you a list of characteristics this group could have. For each characteristic I read to you, I would like you to rank it on a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 means that characteristic is not important at all, and 5 means that characteristic is very important. If you are not sure, please say so.

Mean

70%

65%

58%

51%

41%

B25 [29% Less Important]


Voters favor considerable public involvement in the drawing of district maps. They also strongly support keeping neighborhoods and cities together.

24%

27%

29%

30%

86%

79%

78%

63%

53%

52%

48%

81%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

B47.PROPOSED MAPSSHOULD BE CIRCULATED:

PUBLIC HEARINGS

A46.PROPOSED MAPSSHOULD BE CIRCULATED:

THE INTERNET

37.NEIGHBORHOODSSHOULD BE KEPT TOGETHER

A38.CITIES SHOULD BEKEPT TOGETHER

Very Important Somewhat Important Total Important

Now, turning to the actual district maps that could be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. Here are some different standards that a commission could use to draw district lines. For each, tell me if it is a very important, somewhat important, a little important, or not at all important standard to consider in drawing district lines.


Voters are moderately supportive of compactness and competitiveness as redistricting criteria. Voters do not value drawing lines so that incumbents don’t have to run against each other.

35%

22%

24%

22%

74%

60%

38%

39%

38%

37%

16%

61%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

B39.COUNTIES SHOULD BEKEPT TOGETHER

45.DISTRICTS SHOULD BECOMPACT / NOT HAVE

CRAZY SHAPES

A40.DISTRICT LINES:COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS

44.DON'T FORCEINCUMBENTS TO FACE EACH

OTHER

Very Important Somewhat Important Total Important

Now, turning to the actual district maps that could be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. Here are some different standards that a commission could use to draw district lines. For each, tell me if it is a very important, somewhat important, a little important, or not at all important standard to consider in drawing district lines.


Men and women have similar priorities, with women rating more highly the need to keep neighborhoods and cities together.

TotalB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 86% (63%)

37.NEIGHBORHOODS SHOULD BE KEPT TOGETHER 81% (52%)

A46.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: THE INTERNET 79% (53%)

MenB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 84% (64%)



WomenB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 88% (62%)


A38. CITIES SHOULD BE KEPT TOGETHER 82% (53%)

% Total Imp. (%Very Imp.)


Voters of all races choose public input and keeping neighborhoods or cities together as top redistricting criteria.

WhiteB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 85% (62%)


A38. CITIES SHOULD BE KEPT TOGETHER 80% (52%)

BlackB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 94% (65%)



HispanicB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 87% (63%)








Democrats and Independents are strong supporters of public involvement.

DemocratsB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 88% (67%)



IndependentsB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 90% (69%)



RepublicansB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 85% (56%)








With 93% of anti-Prop. 77 voters saying public hearings are important, it should be noted that these voters want to be more involved in the process.

For Prop. 77B47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 83% (58%)



Against Prop. 77B47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 93% (68%)



% Total Imp. (%Very Imp.) TotalB47.PROPOSED MAPS SHOULD BE CIRCULATED: PUBLIC HEARINGS 86% (63%)




If the State Legislature has to play a role, 75% of voters prefer an indirect role.

Let us suppose that the State Legislature, for constitutional reasons, would have to play a role in this process. Regarding this role, with which of the following FOUR statements would you say best describes your view?

A) The legislature should directly choose the members of a independent redistricting commission.

B) A list of pre-screened, qualified nominees should be presented to the legislature by an outside group. The Legislature would then be allowed to strike candidates from that list, but not to add any candidates.

C) A list of pre-screened, qualified nominees should be presented to the legislature by an outside group. The Legislature would then be allowed to choose the final commission members from that list

D) Each party in the legislature should select members representing the opposite party – that is, the Democrats choose Republicans to sit on the commission, and the Republicans choose Democrats to sit on the commission.

11%

27% 26%22%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

A) Leg. Directly Choose B) Strike Pre-screenedNominees

C) Chose from Pre-screened Nominees

D) Party Chose EachOther's Members

75%


Contact Information

This survey by Lake Research Partners was sponsored by:

California Common Cause (www.commoncause.org/ca)

3250 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1005

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 252-4552

1005 12th Street, Ste. C

Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 443-1792Contact: Kathay Feng, Executive Director

League of Women Voters of California (www.lwvc.org)

Jacqueline Jacobberger, President

801 12th Street, Suite 220

Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 442-7215

Contact: Trudy Schafer, Program Director

The Rose Institute (rose.research.claremontmckenna.edu)

Adams Hall, 340 E. Ninth Street

Claremont, CA 91711

(909) 621-8159Contact: Douglas Johnson, Rose Institute Fellow

This report can be downloaded at www.commoncause.org/ca

Prepared by: Lake Research Partners 1000 BROADWAY SUITE 294 OAKLAND, CA 94607 PHONE: 510-286-2097...

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