Americans want more competitive congressional districts, CBS News poll finds

Politics Redistricting seen as making elections more unfair; voters want more competitive districts, CBS News poll finds By Fred Backus, Anthony Salvanto, Anthony Salvanto CBS News Director of Elections and Surveys Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News' executive director of elections and surveys. He oversees the CBS News Poll and all surveys across topics and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights Read Full Bio Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto May 19, 2026 / 5:56 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google With fewer than six months until the midterm elections and the primaries well underway, the CBS News poll looks at some key dynamics that may shape them, including views about recent redistricting efforts, and what kind of factor President Trump might be.RedistrictingAmid all the battles over redistricting, most voters think the redistricting process is making congressional elections more unfair and that it is making U.S. democracy weaker. That's because most voters would prefer more competition, drawing districts that don't favor one party over another. Current redistricting efforts are seen on balance as leading to more political power for Republicans and less for Democrats. And those efforts are seen as leading to more political power for White voters and less for Black and Hispanic voters. This is tied to how voters perceive the two parties and whom they want to help. Most voters tend to think the Democratic Party treats both White people and racial minorities the same way, but they are more likely to think the Republican Party puts the interests of White people first. These voters overwhelmingly think redistricting will give more political power to White voters and less to Black and Hispanic voters.The Trump factorThough President Trump isn't on the ballot this year, three in four Republican voters want a candidate who will support Trump at least most of the time. This rises to nine in 10 MAGA voters — four in 1...