Poll: Majority of Maryland Voters Don’t Support Eliminating the Sale of New Gas- and Diesel-Powered Cars and Trucks
WASHINGTON, DC — In the next decade, the state of Maryland will ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered vehicles. Following California’s lead to phase out petroleum, Maryland’s Advanced Clean Cars II program will require all new vehicles to be sold in the state be zero-emissions by 2035, which is essentially a mandate for EVs. With this in mind, the Centrist Democrats of America (CDA) released a poll on Marylander’s attitudes about EVs and the state’s transportation future.
The key findings:
Only 6% of Maryland voters plan to purchase an EV in the next year.
79% of Maryland voters are very concerned about climate change and its effects. Democrats are most likely to be very concerned.
50% of Maryland voters think government spending should focus on priorities like schools, healthcare and public safety, not trying to make more people buy EVs.
Nearly half of Maryland (44%) voters think EVs are too expensive and designed for wealthy drivers.
Just 3% of Maryland voters say more funding for increasing the number of EVs should be the top government funding priority.
67% of Maryland voters support the Governor being required to get approval from the state legislature to implement his EV policies that ban the sale of new gas powered vehicles by 2035.
Only 13% of Maryland voters think the state needs to do whatever we can to get as many EVs on the road as quickly as possible in Maryland, including the state subsidizing the costs of the cars, banning the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles, and building the infrastructure for charging stations.
“If Democrats want to be the Party for the working-class Americans, we can’t force low-income and middle-class families to buy expensive EVs,” said CDA Board Member Ronnie Shows. He added: “The polling is clear that Democrats in Maryland are smart to be supportive of government policies that sensibly promote EVs. But calling for bans on the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered vehicles is not popular with voters.”
The poll also found that Marylanders are cool on the Bay State following California’s lead on EVs. Only 11% of respondents strongly support Maryland continuing to adopt all of California’s vehicle emission laws. And 44% of respondents think Maryland should not be adopting vehicle policies written by California or any other state.
Finally, asked to rank their top three government funding priorities, more funding for increasing the number of electric vehicles was just 3% of respondents top priority, just 5% of respondents second top priority, and just 6% of respondents third top priority. Beating out more funding for increasing the number of electric vehicles included more funding for: “ending childhood hunger,” “wind and solar energy,” “to build K-12 schools,” “to fix our roads and bridges,” “police training and hiring,” and “public transportation.”
About the poll:
600 interviews among voters in Maryland were conducted from April 12-17, 2023. Interviews were conducted using an online survey. Results were weighted to ensure proportional response. The comparative margin of error for results is 4.0% at the 95% confidence level. This number is higher for subgroups.
Link to poll:
Click here or link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffced5a6c82fc0f469b81ea/t/6452d6406a3f976708b6ce8f/1683150401567/CDA+MD+Poll.pdf
About Centrist Democrats of America:
Centrist Democrats of America (CDA) is a group dedicated to the principle that Democrats are most effective when they lead from the political center. CDA promotes respectful dialogue, sensible laws, fiscal responsibility, consumer protections, and regulations that appeal to the broadest portion of the American people. CDA advocates for common sense public policies that advance the interests of the nation and put the wellbeing of the American people ahead of politics, ideologies, and party affiliation.