Campaign Watch: Citizens Want Fair Maps

Concerned citizens spoke clearly in support of fair elections maps at seven public hearings around the state last week.

Hundreds of North Carolina citizens used those hearings to call for an end to political gerrymandering designed to protect a single political party. They called for adoption of competitive district maps that give voters a real say in who represents them in the state legislature.

Despite that unequivocal, strong call, the NC Senate on Friday voted mostly along party lines to adopt a map which would guarantee continued disproportionate representation of a single party. The NC House is expected to follow suit today. The map moving through the legislature — composed of legislators elected from a district design already found by the federal courts to be unconstitutional — would remain dominated by the same legislative leaders who have since 2010 attacked environmental safeguards at every turn.

Plaintiffs in the legal action which forced the redistricting process have already proposed alternative maps. The alternative maps would be expected to create many more competitive state legislative districts, which could be won by either major party’s nominee depending on the strength of the nominees and the public’s evaluation of their records and policy positions.

NCLCV agrees that fair and competitive legislative district maps are necessary for a functioning democracy. Without them, it becomes all but impossible to hold most legislators accountable to the public for their environmental and public health decisions.

The action in this issue now shifts back to the courtroom, where advocates for fair district maps will ask the Court to throw out the new state legislative maps drawn by the NC General Assembly, and substitute a fair district plan not tainted by blatant partisan gerrymandering.

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