By Mildred Robertson
Today a joint statement issued by House Speaker Tim Moore and House Minority Leader Robert Reives shows that Republicans apparently decided to make a good faith effort to draw maps that found common ground with the opposition. The statement read: "Today, House Leadership from both parties reached an agreement on a State House map. We are confident that this will result in a map that has bipartisan support. This agreement is the result of several days of good faith discussions between House leaders in both parties."
On February 2 in a four to three split, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that new political district maps drawn by the Republican legislature were unconstitutional. The maps would have provided a sizable advantage to Republicans for the next 10 years. Republicans say that redistricting is fundamentally political in its nature, and that the Court should not be involved. The Court, with four Democratic judges, disagreed. All three Republican justices dissented, saying the maps should not be struck down.
The Court ruled that the maps were “unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt under the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause, and the freedom of assembly clause of North Carolina’s constitution.” The maps were slanted so as to ensure a Republican victory in the state’s General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives despite the fact that 36 % of North Carolina voters are registered Democrats and another 33 % are registered unaffiliated. Only 30% of North Carolinians are registered as Republicans. However, the gerrymandered congressional map would likely have given Republicans a 10-4 or 11-3 advantage in 2022 in the N.C. House of Representatives. Democrats would have the opportunity for victory only in the state’s urban districts.
The House produced the newly drawn political districts just ahead of the Friday deadline imposed by the Court. The deadline was designed to give the Secretary of State the time needed to prepare for this year’s primary elections. The Senate Committee on Redistricting and Elections will meet on Thursday, February 17, 2022, to review the proposed map and discuss several districts still in contention.
Even as the redistricting maps traverse the legislative process, the Court’s ruling allowed for the production of maps that will allow North Carolina citizens a fairer opportunity to select their legislators, rather than to have their legislators select their voters. That outcome reflects a good day for democracy.
Revised: 2/17/2022
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