NC Democrats in Congress make new push for transparency in redistricting
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Democrats introduce Redistricting Transparency Act after rapid NC congressional redraw
- Bill would require public posting of maps, data, drafters and impact analyses.
- Lawmakers must hold statewide hearings, accept comments and publish findings.
State lawmakers’ decision to redistrict North Carolina’s congressional maps last month led Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross to push for a bill calling for more transparency in map-making.
North Carolina’s General Assembly passed a new map redrawing the state’s 1st and 3rd congressional districts less than a week after making the plan public and within two days of opening debate.
It’s not unusual for the state to redraw the congressional boundaries — Ross’ 2nd District has been reconfigured three times since she took office in 2021.
But typically the maps are being redrawn either after the once-a-decade census or under court order after judges find legal problems with the previous version, often linked to racial gerrymandering. This time, lawmakers admitted they were redrawing the district to help President Donald Trump secure an additional seat in the House, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. It’s part of a wave of tit-for-tat redistricting efforts across the country, begun this summer by Texas Republicans.
The resulting North Carolina congressional map, if it holds up in court, would dilute the influence of Black voters in the state’s northeasternmost district, the 1st.
“The Republicans have just gotten more and more brazen about it,” Ross said. “This time we saw them come in, do all of their work, didn’t have real hearings around the state, no transparency about who drafted these plans, no transparency about whether there was any kind of collusion.”
Ross is working with Reps. Valerie Foushee, Don Davis and Alma Adams, North Carolina’s other Democrats in Congress, to introduce the Redistricting Transparency and Accountability Act.
If passed, the bill would require public participation in redistricting from notification to input. This includes keeping a public website where all redistricting plans or maps must be posted. States also must allow the public to submit comments about those maps or plans.
North Carolina lawmakers last month set up an online portal to accept public comments and received more than 12,000 of them, mostly opposed to the new map.
Under the bill, lawmakers would also be required to hold meetings across the state, with a virtual option for those who couldn’t make the hearing in person.
And then, no later than 10 days prior to final passage of a new map, the bill, if passed, would require lawmakers to publish:
- The map showing each congressional district, including specific kinds of data;
- A statement on the total population, the voting age population and citizen population of each district, by race and language minority group;
- A statement of the number of registered voters in each district, broken down by party affiliation;
- A statement of results in each district for all statewide elections from the previous six years preceding the most recent decennial census.
- An analysis of the plan’s compliance with laws, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
- An assessment of partisan fairness;
- A statement identifying every person or entity involved in drafting the plan or map;
- And a statement on changes made in response to input from members of the public.
“This bill basically says you have got to provide all the information to the public, the opportunity for public comment, enough time for people to be able to digest the information and not just jam people and voters, like a perfect example two weeks ago,” Ross said.
Ross said at the very least the public should know where the ideas for new maps came from and allow those maps to be publicly scrutinized.
She candidly admits there is “no way” the bill passes under Republican Speaker Mike Johnson.
“I think it’s very, very important to get it out there,” Ross said, adding she wants her constituents to know she’s fighting for them. “I think there’s a great chance that we’re going to take back the House, and so then it’s teed up and ready to go.”
