Let the judges draw the districts

Editorial by The Fayetteville Observer, September 19, 2017.

The lawyers who argued that many of this state’s legislative districts were racially gerrymandered say the latest redistricting didn’t solve all the problems.

They told a federal Court of Appeals panel that ruled last year against 19 House and Senate districts that a dozen of the redrawn districts are still illegal.The latest legislative redistricting panel ignored racial data in drawing new districts, but created four districts that illegally separate black and white voters and eight more that violate the state constitution.

One of the districts at issue is Sen. Ben Clark’s in Hoke and Cumberland counties. The lawyers said the district remains packed with black voters and they also objected to its irregular shape. The shape is in part Clark’s own doing — he asked legislative mapmakers to include his new home, which is halfway across Cumberland County from the rest of his district. The Republican redistricting officials accommodated Clark, a Democrat, and drew a long, narrow path to his house so he could still claim residence in his district.

Lawyers for the legislature will file their answers to the objections this week. It’s not clear when the federal judges will rule, but we hope they’ll move quickly. And if they uphold the objections, we also hope they’ll draw new districts themselves. This redistricting effort began shortly after the 2010 federal census was completed. At the present pace, the remapping effort won’t be completed until the next census, and then we’ll get back on the same merry-go-round. We’d like to see at least one election held with districts that every agrees are legal and fair.

http://www.fayobserver.com/opinion/20170919/our-view-let-judges-draw-districts