As leaders of reliably blue Maryland weigh whether to redraw the state’s congressional districts midcycle to counteract similar efforts in red states under the pressure of President Donald Trump, a new poll shows Marylanders are divided on how to do it – or whether it should even be done at all . The UMBC Institute of Politics on Monday released the results of their poll which surveyed Marylanders about midcycle congressional redistricting, their priorities for the state, and the most important issue facing Maryland. Traditionally, states redraw their congressional maps every 10 years, after the U.S. Census. But this summer, Texas’s Republican-led state legislature passed a new map meant to help their party pick up five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2026 midterms. California responded in kind, with its own map intended to give Democrats five additional seats. Since then, several other state legislatures have taken up the question of whether to redraw their own congressional maps. Indiana Republicans on Thursday voted down a map that could have given their party two more seats in Congress. Trump said he will support primary challengers against state lawmakers who did not fall in line with his vision. In November, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore formed an advisory commission to recommend new congressional district maps. But Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has been staunchly opposed to redrawing Maryland’s district lines right now. Registered Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters about 2-to-1 in Maryland. The state is divided into eight congressional districts; all but one – Republican congressman Andy Harris’s First District – are controlled by Democrats.  The UMBC poll found 81% of Marylanders said it is a “major problem” for American democracy when congressional districts are purposefully drawn to favor one party over another. However, respondents who said they had paid at least “a little” attention to Maryland’s consideration of midcycle redistricting (a combined 77% of respondents) were conflicted about whether the state should put it into action. Nearly half of those respondents oppose Maryland taking action to redraw congressional district lines midcycle, with 40% saying “I don’t like it, and it should not be done” and 7% saying “I like it, but it’s the wrong thing to do.” However, almost as many supported the move, including 21% who said “I don’t like it, but it’s necessary” and 24% saying “I like it, and we should do it.” Another 5% said they don’t know and 3% refused to answer. Of the Marylanders surveyed, 41% believe the state’s congressional districts are drawn unfairly, including 33% who said the district lines favor Democrats and 8% who said they favor Republicans. Meanwhile, 28% said the lines are drawn fairly and 29% said they did not know. Asked how district lines should be drawn in Maryland, about two-thirds (63%) said a non-partisan, independent commission should be in charge of drawing district lines. Meanwhile, 12% said the state’s elected officials should draw the district lines, 14% had some other opinion, 8% don’t know, and 2% refused to answer. One-quarter of Marylanders ranked the economy, jobs, and cost of living as the most important issue facing the state of Maryland today. That answer was followed closely by “taxes, budget, and government spending” (23%), and in third was “government leadership, politics, and democracy.” Other issues that respondents viewed as most important for the state include: housing and homelessness (7%); crime, public safety, and drugs (7%); healthcare (3%); education and schools (2%); transportation and infrastructure (2%); other (6%). Another 11% of respondents either said they don’t know or refused to answer. Pollsters also asked respondents about various issues facing the state and asked them whether each should be a “high,” “medium,” or “low” priority for the Maryland state government to address. The issue that was a high priority for the greatest percentage of Marylanders was the cost of healthcare (77%). That comes as Congress continues to debate whether to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that have helped patients pay their insurance premiums. Other issues that were largely ranked as high priorities were the quality of K-12 public education (75%); reducing crime and improving public safety (73%); the amount of state taxes and fees that residents pay (67%); the cost and availability of housing (65%); and the cost of household energy bills (65%). Redrawing congressional district lines was a low priority for 42% of Marylanders; only 27% said it was a high priority and 25% said it was a medium priority. UMBC pollsters surveyed 801 Maryland adults, including 769 registered voters, by phone from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5% for both the sample of Maryland adults, and plus or minus 3.5% for the registered voters. ...read more read less