Support new redistricting proposal
Published April 7, 2017
Editorial by Rocky Mount Telegram, April 6, 2017.
There is new hope on the horizon for fairer elections in North Carolina. Its name is House Bill 200.
The legislation introduced in March by a bipartisan group of representatives would take redistricting authority out of the hands of the members of the N.C. General Assembly and delegate the task to nonpartisan legislative staff. The staff would be charged with creating congressional and legislative districts according to population numbers, ostensibly with no regard to partisan politics.
The plan falls short of creating an independent nonpartisan commission to handle redistricting. But it still would be a huge improvement over the system that has beleaguered both parties, particularly in the last 20 years, and has clogged up the court system, to boot.
That system has allowed the party with the most seats in the General Assembly to draw district maps that virtually ensure continued dominance by the party in charge. The court challenges that have followed such gerrymandering only confuse and complicate a system that needs to change.
If HB 200 passes the N.C. House, it would be a major statement for fairness. But to go beyond symbolism, it has to generate bipartisan support in the Senate.
We the people can help that cause by making our voices heard. Without significant changes in the redistricting process, North Carolina's legislature and congressional delegation will continue to be dominated by whoever controls the most seats in the General Assembly. That's not fair, regardless of which party is in charge.
Raise that issue with N.C. Sens. Rick Horner, Angela Bryant and other senators. Let them know that fairness is important to voters in the Twin Counties.
It's time for the legislature to be a level playing field for candidates of all political stripes and voters across the state
