Overview - Every ten years, following the census, the state legislature draws new congressional and state legislative districts. These districts are approved by a simple majority of legislators and cannot be vetoed by the Governor. Since North Carolina is a "Voting Rights Act" state, our districts must be approved by either the US District Court in DC or the Department of Justice. For a simple overview of the process, follow this link - http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gis/randr07/Overview.html.
Congressional Maps - The proposed Congressional districts, S453, have passed the Senate and are now under consideration in the House Redistricting Committee. Currently, the NC congressional delegation is composed of 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans. The new maps would create 3 strong Democrat seats with the remaining 10 either strong Republican seats or lean Republican seats. These maps would constitute one of the biggest delegation shifts in the country. Furthermore, Reps. Price and Miller would be drawn into the same district (though members of Congress do not have to live in their district) as would Reps. Larry Kissel and Mike McIntyre.
NC House Maps - The proposed NC House districts, H937, have passed the House and are now under consideration by the Senate Redistricting Committee. In the NC House maps, many progressive champions are double-bunked (drawn into the same district) with another legislator. Specifically, Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a strong voice for children, is drawn into a district with Rep. Tom Murry. The new district is very favorable to a Republican candidate, so it will be difficult for Rep. Weiss to keep her seat. Other victims of the double-bunk:
Reps. Rick Glazier (D) and Diane Parfit (D) - Fayetteville
Reps. Susan Fisher (D) and Patsy Keever (D) - Buncombe
Reps. Deborah Ross (D) and Grier Martin (D) - Wake
All of these candidates share strong D districts, but only one candidate can win each district. Overall, the new House maps would solidify a GOP majority, but it doesn't appear as though Republicans would pick up many additional seats beyond what they gained in last year's sweep of the House.
NC Senate Maps - The proposed NC Senate districts, S455, have passed the Senate and are now under consideration in the House Redistricting Committee. The current NC Senate is composed of 31 Republicans and 19 Democrats. The new districts would create 34 districts in which Sen. John McCain won the election in 2008, which means there will be more Republican-friendly districts in the Senate. If these districts pass and are upheld in the courts, Republicans will likely maintain control of the Senate through the next decade.
Racial Implications - It's worth noting that a primary strategy employed by GOP district drawers was to pack African-Americans into a small number of districts to dilute their vote in other parts of the state. This strategy will likely be the grounds for a lawsuit to overturn these maps.
All of these maps are expected to pass the legislature by the end of this week. Following passage, they will be presented to the Department of Justice and the DC District Court for preclearance. If they are precleared by either body, they become law. It is possible that a lawsuit from a third-party would block the implementation of these new districts, but that's unclear at this point.
For each bill, I've included a link to the Governor's veto message, the text of the bill and the final votes.
Others on list for override vote:
It's likely that the House does not have the votes to override the last three, but it is always a possibility.
Covenant with North Carolina's Children
