For sane districts

The electoral district map drawn by Republicans in 2011 is a farce. Most of my voting friends had no idea what district they lived in until they set foot in the voting booth. At least half of the state legislative districts, as well as the 4th and 12th congressional districts, are egregious crimes against geography. And while the GOP benefited from this round of gerrymandering – for example, winning three of four Wake County state Senate seats despite losing the overall vote by about 2 to 1 – it isn’t that long ago that they were the victims of a horrible gerrymander by the Democrats.

This absurdity needs to stop. Non-partisan redistricting works well in states such as Iowa and Arizona; it’s time that we demanded that such a system be implemented in North Carolina. Non-partisan redistricting can restore the principle that voters choose their representatives, not vice versa – and it will restore some sanity to the maps as well.

Jeff Woodhead

Raleigh