N.C. House Says Yes to New Plan

The bill, which passed 62-57, was sponsored by Rep. Ronnie Sutton, D-Robeson, co-chairman of the House Legislative Redistricting Committee.

The Democrats have a small majority in the House, holding 62 seats to the 58 seats held by Republicans.

The plan, which will be voted on again by the House today, will shape the makeup of the N.C. House for the next 10 years.

The plan passed Tuesday is a revised version of Sutton's original plan, which the House has been considering since early this month.

Rep. Charles Buchanan, R-Mitchell, was the only Republican to deviate from party lines, joining 61 Democrats in voting for the bill.

But some Republicans and Democrats still say they are displeased with how the plan addresses minority representation.

Sutton said the new plan fixes areas with unbalanced voter influence and better represents the population shift in North Carolina over the last 10 years.

The population in the Triangle and the Triad boomed during the past decade, while it declined in rural areas.

Wake County, which has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, will gain two seats, bringing its total to 12. Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, also gained two seats, giving it 13 in all. Charlotte traditionally has leaned Republican.

"Several districts were reshaped to make them look a little bit better," Sutton said. "I think that in most cases the switch benefitted the Republicans."

The new plan will establish 120 member seats in the House, with each member representing roughly 67,000 residents.

Sutton's plan outlines 113 districts -- 107 single-member districts, five two-member districts and one three-member district. There are 98 districts in the House now.

According to the plan, representation in some current two-member districts will be changed to single-member districts. Many of these new districts will be divided along lines that will group together black voters.

Twelve of the new districts are in areas where black voters constitute at least 50 percent of the population, while 22 districts have minority populations of at least 40 percent.

But several representatives from both parties disagree with the idea of dividing voting districts along majority-minority racial lines.

Rep. Dan Blue, D-Wake, said organizing black voters into concentrated voting blocs is not the way to promote minority interests in the General Assembly.

"The only way we'll ever find out if our system works is if candidates respond to the issues in a district, not the racial composition," Blue said.

Rep. Fern Shubert, R-Union, had stronger things to say about Sutton's plan.

"This is not supposed to be some banana republic or third world country," she said. "My county has been ripped off -- Stanly County even worse."

Shubert said splitting precincts and forming districts based on race is "reprehensible."

She added that she is concerned that voters in her county might be confused by the new districts.

Plans to reshape congressional voting districts will likely be discussed next week.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.