A new poll found that more Maryland voters currently oppose than support a proposed constitutional amendment that would change rules governing congressional maps.

In a survey of 600 likely voters conducted Sept. 10-13, 41% said they would vote against the proposed constitutional amendment, while 28% said they would vote for it and 31% were undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll was commissioned by Protect Maryland Votes and conducted by Ragnar Research Partners and Lincoln Park Strategies. Interviews were conducted by live telephone operators, with 85% of respondents participating by cell phone and 15% by landline.

Ragnar Research Partners is a Republican-affiliated polling firm, while Lincoln Park Strategies is affiliated with Democrats.

Among Republicans, 61% said they would vote against the amendment, compared with 37% of independents and 32% of Democrats. Democrats were more evenly divided, with 35% supporting the amendment and 33% undecided.

Maryland voters will consider the amendment, which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as Question 3, as well as candidates for federal, state and local offices. The proposed change would clarify that certain constitutional standards for drawing districts apply only to legislative districts, or those used to elect members of the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, and not to congressional districts. It also would authorize the General Assembly to grant the Supreme Court of Maryland original jurisdiction to review congressional districting plans.

Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Democrats back the amendment, arguing the change would clarify the constitutional rules governing congressional maps and counter President Donald Trump’s nationwide redistricting blitz intended to give the GOP an advantage in the upcoming election. Democrats’ position follows a Circuit Court 2022 ruling that found constitutional standards for legislative districts also apply to congressional maps, although the Maryland Constitution does not explicitly refer to congressional districts.

Republican lawmakers have argued that the amendment could open the door to redrawing Maryland’s congressional districts and potentially put the state’s sole Republican-held congressional seat at risk.

Survey respondents were also asked whether they supported or opposed “gerrymandering” congressional district lines in Maryland. The poll question, question 25, described the constitutional amendment as an amendment “to gerrymander congressional district lines,” rather than using the ballot language. Respondents were given the exact language when asked if they would support or oppose “the Constitutional Amendment regarding Congressional redistricting,” which was question 10.

Over half of the survey respondents, 57%, oppose gerrymandering, which is the practice of drawing maps to give a certain party an advantage over its election opponents, compared to 21% in support. Twenty-two percent said they were undecided.

Early voting begins on Oct. 22, and the general election is on Nov. 3.

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