The political circus comes to Raleigh

by Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and moderator, NC SPIN, February 19, 2016.

The circus came to Raleigh this week – not the farewell tour of thick-skinned pachyderms - but one in which other elephants were in the center ring.

Faced with the mandate from a three-judge federal panel to redraw Congressional Districts 1 and 12 within ten days, the state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay that order. Legislative leaders were virtually assured their appeal would be successful, therefore allowing the March 15^th Primary Elections for Congressional seats to go on as scheduled. As part of this great circus lawmakers held a statewide public hearing on redistricting Monday but it was little more than a show, minus the calliope, peanuts, Crackerjacks and clowns - though some likened lawmakers to those with the white painted faces and big red noses.

That hearing proved that redistricting is an issue that stirs the passions and interests of more than just the inside-the-beltline politicos and left legislators wishing they had not staged it. Comments were heated enough to melt the snow and ice that blanketed our state and should have been a wake-up call that lawmakers are the villains in this redistricting saga. Voters are weary of redistricting efforts that effectually allow legislators to choose their voters instead of drawing competitive districts in which voters select their representatives. Repeated Republican soliloquies that Democrats did this for decades only confirm that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Events changed dramatically on the way to the stay by the Supreme Court. Justice Antonin Scalia’s untimely death threw the conservative plurality of the court into a partisan stalemate. The remaining justices are split evenly along party lines, so a tie vote kicks the issue back to the three-judge panel that has already ruled the two districts are unconstitutional and must be redrawn. This speaks to the state of our highly partisan appellate courts on both the state and national level.

The next act, as daring as walking the high wire without a net, challenged those who had opposed the current districts by declaring “you can’t have it both ways.” Legislators said they would comply with the three-judge panel and therefore would not use race as any factor in redrawing the two districts. As might be suspected, those who opposed the original districts were forced to back up, explaining, that their opposition was to the stacking and packing of the 1^st and 12^th districts, then quickly adding that race must have some consideration in accordance with the Voting Rights Act.

While this is all fascinating fodder for those watch every nuance under the political big top it demonstrates the absurdity in moving our primary elections from the traditional second Tuesday in May to March 15^th. Lawmakers had justified their decision by proclaiming the move would produce two benefits: the March date would allow our state to be a player in the presidential nomination process, while also saving the state millions of dollars by holding only one primary election.

29 other states will have held presidential contests before North Carolina and it increasingly looks as if our voice will not be so significant. Further, there is no way new districts can get necessary approvals by March 15^th, so a May congressional primary is almost a certainty.

It doesn’t appear we will enjoy either of the promised benefits.