North Carolina Democrats urge Republicans to start legislative map revisions
(The Center Square) – With less than two weeks to redraw legislative district maps, North Carolina Democrats called on Republicans on Monday to roll out a plan to get the process going.
North Carolina Supreme Court justices gave lawmakers until 5 p.m. Feb. 18 to submit new maps after striking down the state’s congressional and state legislative maps, 4-3, on Friday. A three-judge panel must approve the maps by noon Feb. 23.
Senate Minority Dan Blue, D-Wake, said Monday despite the short deadline, lawmakers have not received a schedule or a plan for revising the maps.
“I don’t know when we’ll get together to talk about it, but I just want all of you to know that we’re reporting and ready to do the job that Supreme Court has indicated was done poorly in the last effort to redistrict North Carolina,” Blue said.
The General Assembly drew maps in November that outline voting districts for the next decade. A group of voting advocates sued to block the maps, claiming they were unconstitutional because they were drawn to uphold the majority. The state Supreme Court’s order Friday overrode a lower court’s decision to uphold the maps.
The court ruled the maps were partisan gerrymandered and violated the free elections cause, the equal protection class, the free speech clause and the freedom of assembly clause of the state constitution.
Duke University and Princeton University deemed the maps unfair and said they reflect an advantage for Republicans. Princeton Gerrymandering Project analysts predicted the congressional map would give Republicans 10 of the 14 seats, or a “significant Republican advantage.” According to state election data, 35.7% of North Carolina voters are registered as Democrats, 34.2% are unaffiliated, and 31% are Republicans.
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said Friday the higher court’s decision was based on “the political whims of 4 out of 7 justices.” Other Republicans also labeled the decision as partisan.
Republican Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby said the order violated separation of powers because it allows the judicial branch to oversee redistricting, which is the responsibility of the legislative branch, according to the state constitution.
House Minority Leader Robert Reives, D-Durham, said Monday the state should eliminate party affiliation from the judicial system to remove partisan pressure, calling on the Legislature to “run a bill this week.”
Reives said they also should consider having an independent, nonpartisan group oversee redistricting instead of the General Assembly. Other Democrats also called for independent analysts during redistricting discussions.
The Legislature must reconstruct district maps every 10 years, corresponding with the release of U.S. census data. This is not the first time North Carolina had to redraw its district maps. The state has faced a string of lawsuits, causing district maps to be redrawn in 2016 for racial gerrymandering and in 2019 for partisan gerrymandering.
If the Legislature fails to meet the deadline, the court will select a district plan based on the constitutional findings in their order.
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