One More Push for Redistricting In NCGA Session | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who is a writer for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Coalition of reformers tout new study showing effects of gerrymandering

    RALEIGH     A government reform group is making another push for changes in the way North Carolina draws legislative maps as the General Assembly enters the final weeks of its 2013 session.

    The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform is touting a new study showing how gerrymandering leads to the majority party having a disproportionate share of the membership of the General Assembly.

    The study, done by assistant professor Mark Nance of the School of International and Public Affairs at N.C. State University and Larry King, a retired N.C. State professor, looks at how Democrats benefited from gerrymandering when they were in power in the 1990s, and how Republicans are benefiting from gerrymandering now.

    Jane Pinsky, director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, said that the effort to change the way congressional and legislative districts are determined speaks to the level of trust between those who make the laws and those who have to abide by those laws.

    "We do hear from a lot of citizens -- a lot of distrust," Pinsky said. "People who've been around a while understand that that undermines everything they want to do."

    The bill is based on a redistricting plan that is in effect in Iowa. It would require the General Assembly's nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission to draw up congressional, state Senate, and state House districts following the 2020 census and every census thereafter.

    The commission staff would use census data to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts. It would require adherence to federal and state law, including the "whole county" provisions in the N.C. Constitution stating that, when possible, districts should not divide counties. It also would require districts to be as compact as possible.

    It would forbid drawing districts favoring a political party or incumbent. In addition, it would prohibit the dilution of the voting strength of a language or racial minority group.

    "In establishing districts, no use shall be made of any of the addresses or geographic locations of incumbents," the bill says.

    "They go in there with the census data," Pinsky said. "That's all that they can look at."

    It also requires prompt preparation of the districts by the commission staff, and quick turnaround times for legislative action.

    While legislators would be able to make technical changes in the bill, they would not be allowed to make substantive changes. Lawmakers otherwise could give a proposed plan only an up or down vote.

    If lawmakers fail to approve a plan, they must instruct the staff as to their concerns, and allow the staff to draw plans as many as two additional times. If, after three tries, the General Assembly has not approved a redistricting plan, then lawmakers would draw their own.

    The study done by King and Nance shows a disproportionate percentage of members of the majority party getting elected in North Carolina compared with the total statewide vote.

    In 1992, when following new districts drawn by Democrats, Democratic candidates for state House seats received 52 percent of the votes, but Democrats got 67 percent of the seats. That same year, Democrats got 55 percent of the votes statewide for N.C. Senate, but held 78 percent of the seats.

    During the 2012 election, after Republicans drew the congressional and legislative districts, they were able to win 64 percent of the N.C. House seats, though they got 54 percent of the vote statewide. For N.C. Senate, Republicans won 66 percent of the seats while getting only 50 percent of the vote statewide.

    Pinsky is still hoping that the bill will make progress during the closing weeks of the legislative session. She noted that House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, has been a supporter of the concept.

    Jordan Shaw, a spokesman for Tillis, acknowledged Tillis' support, and said the bill's fate this year may come down to timing.

    "What comes up throughout the remainder of the session depends on our capacity to move bills while dealing with the budget, tax reform, etc.," Shaw said.

    The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform represents more than 50 groups and individuals, including the John Locke Foundation.