Proposed NC voting map would decrease Black representation

The map largely affects Congressional District 1, which was the site of the only competitive congressional election in North Carolina in 2024. The map would decrease Black representation in particular.

Tyler Daye, policy and civic engagement manager for Common Cause North Carolina, said the proposed map decreases the Black voting-age population of the district by 8%.

Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., won Congressional District 1 by less than two percentage points in 2024. The new map was drawn specifically to oust Davis and make it easy for a Republican to win.

Republicans in the General Assembly have made clear why they want to make this change: It is likely to gain them a seat in the U.S. House, as state Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, who is serving as Senate Deputy President, has stated. The House Redistricting Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. The General Assembly is accepting comments from the public on the plan.

Marques Thompson, organizing director for Democracy NC and a resident of Congressional District 1, said the General Assembly is not working to keep communities together in the new map.

“The government should be of the people, meaning that the representative is of the community they represent and is able to understand their unique problems and opportunities and is willing to fight for those specific people’s interests,” Thompson contended. “These maps diminish these communities — my community — and that’s wrong.”

Melissa Price Kromm, chair and executive director for North Carolina For The People, said the state needs to take lawmakers out of the process of drawing voting maps.

“North Carolina needs an independent redistricting process that removes these conflicts of interest and builds public trust,” Price Kromm argued. “We also advocate proportional representation as a long way to ensure that every vote counts and every voice is heard.”

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: Video: The actually very simple solution to ending gerrymandering in NC