Right to boycott and divest from Israel
A 2026 ballot initiative would establish the right of individuals, organizations, universities, and public entities to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel as a form of political expression, placing Middle East-related BDS policy on California’s higher-education and business agenda.
Should California establish a right to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel?
How OpenCampaign quiz-takers stand on this issue
27% call it a high-priority issue (rating it 7+ out of 10).
- Liberal14%
- Lean liberal18%
- Moderate21%
- Lean conservative23%
- Conservative24%
High-priority share over time
The high-priority share has ranged 22–36% since 2016. Election-year cohorts skew casual and under-rate every issue, so the dips around 2020 and 2024 partly reflect who took the quiz, not a shift in opinion.
Where do you stand?
Should California establish a right to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel?
How important is this to you?
✓ You told us where you stand
Sources
California Right to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Israel Initiative (2026) ... Establish the right of individuals, organizations, universities, and public entities to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel as a form of political expression
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Fully protect and facilitate BDS by public entities, universities, and private actors as free expression
- Allow boycotts and divestment as political speech without state punishment
- Protect individual speech but keep neutral contracting and investment rules for public bodies
- Bar public entities and universities from BDS while leaving private boycotts alone
- Prohibit public BDS and penalize discriminatory boycotts of Israel by state-funded institutions