Yet another useless poll from U.C. Berkeley.
At a time when the U.S. Attorney is suing the Mayor and City of Los Angeles for failure to observe and support Federal immigration law; and the Federal Department of Justice is suing the County of Orange for failure to share information on noncitizens the County allowed to register to vote; as Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for defamation; as six California GOP members of Congress write to President Trump asking for a new policy on migrants that recognizes the plight of long-term noncriminal residents who contribute to the California economy; what pressing public policy questions do you think the UC Berkeley poll is surveying Californians on today? Here is their big question, of over 6,000 polled, released today:
“When you vote at an in person site, do you prefer to vote on Election Day, one-to three days before, four-to-ten days before, more than 10 days before?” https://mailchi.mp/berkeley.edu/berkeley-igs-poll-2025-07-early-voting-in-ca-elections?e=c0286099b6
While election administration is very important, the current poll fielded by UC Berkeley is absurdly out of focus and misses out on asking more relevant and current probative questions, like, for example, how Californians feel about flaws in the electoral system that allow noncitizens to register to vote, and maybe even to vote, in our elections; and elevates a largely useless question on California public opinion at a time when far more important concerns shared by Californians daily in neighborly conversations, that should be polled, are ignored. Yet another fail for UC Berkeley polling, a partner of the Los Angeles Times.
James, I read your latest work. There is a huge disconnect between public policy and public opinion surveys in California. Faced with a series of major legal disputes between the federal and local governments over immigration, election integrity, and news media, UC Berkeley, as one of the most influential public academic institutions in the United States, should focus its polls on systemic issues that the public cares about most and has the greatest practical impact, rather than concentrating resources on low-correlation and highly technical issues such as "voting a few days in advance is more comfortable" for voters. In the context of the current highly sensitive political and social environment, the legitimacy of the electoral system, the transparency of citizenship verification, and the impact of immigration policies on local economic and social structures are the key issues that should be widely collected and fed back to the policy-making level. Ignoring these issues not only weakens the public supervision and democratic participation functions that polls should play, but also raises questions about their professionalism and fairness. Therefore, from a professional perspective, the lack of focus in the topic setting of this poll is not only a waste of academic resources, but may also lead to misjudgment or even idleness of public opinion on important issues, misleading public policy. We hope that in the future polling organizations will be able to be more closely aligned with real-world concerns and enhance their social influence and policy reference value.