It’s no surprise that state Republicans are being accused of foul play by redrawing North Carolina’s electoral boundaries in their favor. For more than a century, they’ve been in the minority, forced to swallow whatever the Democrats in power drew up.
But the surprise has little to do with the party in charge — and neither should redistricting.
That’s why the N.C. House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bi-partisan bill that would leave redistricting in the hands of a non-partisan commission beginning in 2020. The bill passed its first reading in the Senate only to be sent to the rules and operations committee, where bills are typically sent to die.
At a special September session focusing on constitutional amendments, the General Assembly should put politics aside and take up this bill. The momentum in Raleigh for non-partisan redistricting carries too much promise to die in a Senate committee.
If passed, the bill would create a non-partisan redistricting system similar to the one used in Iowa and necessary to North Carolina, a state known nationally for its blatant gerrymandering.
The state has become a textbook example of egregious redistricting that values re-election above fair and democratic representation. Of particular concern is the infamous “snake” 12th congressional district that stretches from Charlotte to Winston-Salem, winding its way through primarily minority areas. It’s little wonder why North Carolina has faced at least 25 state and federal lawsuits in the past two decades, according to Brent Laurenz, director of outreach for the N.C. Center for Voter Education.
And that number doesn’t account for new lawsuits to come with the next round of redistricting. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has already vowed to sue over the new lines, alleging discrimination.
When Democrats were in power, Republicans often cried foul at the partisan practices of Democratic redistricting efforts. But now that they are in power they are employing similarly partisan tactics, “double-bunking” Democratic incumbents to force them to run against each other.
It is clear that neither party is innocent, and that politicians have always used — and plan to continue using — their clout to make elections less fair for their opponents. That is why the bill deserves more attention soon.
A bill that had such even and widespread support — 50 Democrats and 38 Republicans, including the speaker — deserves prompt attention as there is clearly not only a problem but a strong desire to address it.
