Skewed districts

The impact of the recent changes in congressional district boundaries by the Republican-dominated legislature was not included your Nov. 11 report “How N.C. voted.” Republicans won nine of 13 congressional seats (a three-seat net increase) with only 2.14 million votes, compared to 2.20 million votes for Democrats. The discrepancy resulted because districts were configured so that three of the Democrats won by a 74-79 percent margin.

This fact refutes the argument we’ve been hearing from right-leaning pundits that the congressional gain for Republicans is proof that the election was not a referendum on the people’s will for the country’s future direction. The election’s result proves that it is possible to defeat democracy by denying the one-man/woman, one-vote principle.

Michael Caplow

Chapel Hill