REDISTRICTING VICTORY FOR NC DEMS

By Mildred Robertson

North Carolinians can expect more equitable maps as they head to the polls on May 17. On Monday, March 7, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal by GOP lawmakers to reinstate their gerrymandered political districts for North Carolina’s congressional elections. That means the voters will cast ballots in districts drawn by outside experts for the state’s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as prescribed by NC state courts in a redistricting lawsuit brought to achieve more fair maps.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s denial ends the GOP lawmaker’s emergency appeal to block the redrawn redistricting maps to replace their gerrymandered maps. The NC State Supreme Court let a nonpartisan panel of experts draw the new map after concluding the Republican state legislature’s map violated the state Constitution by heavily favoring Republican voters.

North Carolina is a purple state that is fairly evenly divided between Democrat and Republican voters. Approximately 36% of North Carolinians are registered Democrats, while 30% are Republicans. Unaffiliated voters account for 33% of the North Carolina voting population. The congressional maps drawn by the outside experts will produce primary and general elections more favorable to Democrats than previous maps Republicans passed in November and February where they were drawn to guarantee a Republican victory in up to 10 of the 14 districts.

While Democrats can take a victory lap for more equitable maps in 2022, the fight is not over. Several of the Supreme Court Justices wanted to take the case. In a 6-3 decision, the Court rejected the GOP redistricting case, stating that it was too close to the election to force states to redraw maps. However, several of the justices stated that the Court will eventually have to address whether a state court has the authority to reject rules adopted by a state legislature for conducting federal elections.

While not viewed as ideal by many on the left, the new maps are expected to benefit Democrats more than those proposed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. Based upon the new voting map, the GOP is expected to win seven congressional seats, while the Democrats will likely win six. A new Raleigh-area congressional seat is a probable toss-up. The U.S. House map approved by a panel of judges will only be used in the 2022 election cycle.

If Republicans retake the state Supreme Court by winning at least one of two state Supreme Court races this year and GOP lawmakers retain their legislative majorities, the party could potentially enact more partisan maps that benefit them. So it is extremely important that everyone who wants to maintain fair maps register and vote in this primary and general election.

Mail-in voting begins on March 28. The civilian voter registration deadline is April 22. One-stop, in-person early voting begins April 28 and ends at 3 p.m. May 14.