Congressional Democrats Decry Republican Voting Maps
Republican state lawmakers have drawn new congressional voting districts that strongly favor their elections for the next decade.
By Cash Michaels –
To no one’s surprise, Republican state lawmakers have drawn new congressional voting districts that strongly favor their elections for the next decade.
In fact, US Rep. Alma Adams called the new Congressional maps “an illegal political gerrymander.”
And to no one’s surprise, Democrats have blasted the GOP voting districts for how slanted they are, and are fully supportive of vigorously challenging them in court.
Both the state House and Senate voted last week to approve the congressional voting map, as well as ratify the state legislative maps. The congressional maps will govern how 14 congressional districts across the state will be reapportioned or carved up, producing congressional representation in the US House. Currently, 13 voting districts are represented by 8 Republicans and 5 Democrats. But with population growth adding one more congressional district according to the 2020 US Census, Republicans saw fit to draw a new map with either a 10-4 Republican v. Democratic split, or even an 11-3 advantage for the 2022 congressional elections and beyond.
Republicans have shrewdly stayed away from saying anything about the partisan breakdown of any of the voting district maps for Congress, the state House or state Senate, preferring not to give Democrats or progressive advocacy groups like the NC NAACP anything to hang their legal hats on, instead insisting that the map drawing process has been “transparent.”
The same is true about the lack of use of racial data in the drawing of the maps, something the GOP erroneously swears the courts prohibit them from doing (the federal courts have cited the GOP for racial gerrymandering, or “stack and packing” black voters in majority-minority districts so that they can’t help white Democrats win close elections.).
The lopsided congressional maps run counter to the fact that North Carolina remains very much a purple state—with a statewide voter breakdown of 35% registered Democrats, 30% registered Republicans—and 34% registered Independent voters. That’s right: the 2,443,874 Independents outnumber the 2,175,222 Republicans by more than 12%!
At least one analysis has the First Congressional District, currently represented by African American Congressman G. K. Butterfield, flip so that it is more competitive for Republicans.
In early November, a lawsuit challenging the Republican congressional map from former US Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee was filed in Wake Superior Court November 5, 2021.
In a statement, the current five Democratic congresspeople—G. K. Butterfield (NC-1), Deborah Ross (NC-2), David Price (NC-4), Kathy Manning (NC-6) and Alma Adams (NC-12) supported the litigation.
“We fully support this effort to ensure voters have fair congressional districts once and for all. The Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly has once again deliberately silenced large numbers of voters to create politically and racially imbalanced maps that provide a baked-in advantage for Republicans.”
On the legislative side, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice has already filed a lawsuit challenging the mapmaking process and lack of racial data in maps.
“Even if it imperils my seat, we can’t allow General Assembly Republicans to subvert our democracy,” Rep. Alma Adams said. “These maps must be taken to court, and they must be overturned.”
