A majority of likely voters support President Donald Trump’s call for a new census, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
When asked specifically about whether illegal immigrants should be excluded from the census count, 52% of likely voters agreed, while 36% disagreed and 11% were unsure.
“Among voters who don’t think illegal immigrants should be counted in the census, 74% approve of Trump’s decision to order a new census: 83% of Republicans, 43% of Democrats and 49% of voters not affiliated with either major party at least somewhat approve of Trump ordering a new census,” Rasmussen reported.
Nearly half of Democrats, 49%, said they believe illegal immigrants should be included in the census. But solid majorities of Republicans (65%) and unaffiliated voters (57%) said they should not.
The divide was also clear along 2024 voting lines. Rasmussen found that 52% of Kamala Harris voters think the census should count illegal immigrants, while 70% of Trump voters said they should not.
The poll surveyed 1,184 likely voters between Aug. 11–13. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
The release of the polling comes just days after Trump announced he had instructed his administration to begin work on what he called a “new” census.
In a social media post, Trump said the new census would exclude millions of people living in the country without legal status — an unprecedented change from how the census has been conducted since the first count in 1790, NPR reported.
He said he directed the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, to “immediately begin work” on a census using “the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024.” He did not explain why election results would matter.
The White House press office did not respond to requests for comment.
The Commerce Department released a statement saying: “The Census Bureau will immediately adopt modern technology tools for use in the Census to better understand our robust Census data. We will accurately analyze the data to reflect the number of legal residents in the United States.”
Under Article 1 of the Constitution, it is Congress — not the president — that has authority over the census. Federal law requires a census every 10 years to redistribute congressional seats and Electoral College votes. The 14th Amendment mandates that the “whole number of persons in each state” be counted for apportionment.
It is unclear whether an additional census could be conducted and used for reapportionment before 2030. Current law does allow the Commerce Department to conduct a mid-decade census, such as in 2025, but those results cannot be used to redistribute House seats or electoral votes.
Trump’s push lines up with legislation introduced last month by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Her bill would exclude noncitizens from the count and trigger a new census and redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections.
Asked about the bill in July, Trump said, “It’s going to get in. It’s going to pass, and we’re going to be very happy.”
Other Republicans have also introduced bills this year calling for either excluding illegal immigrants or all noncitizens, including green card holders, from the 2030 count.
Trump’s announcement comes as he has urged Republicans in several states to redraw congressional maps, setting off partisan fights over redistricting.
The move has already drawn opposition.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which previously sued Trump over his attempts to change the 2020 census, said another legal battle may be coming.
Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said in a statement that excluding residents without legal status “would defy the Constitution, federal law, and settled precedent.”
