Over and over, one of our most-requested shows is a look at redistricting and gerrymandering efforts. So we’re tackling it on the state level for the second edition of our series, “The State We’re In.”
For example, in North Carolina, even though a judge has ruled that their electoral map is unconstitutionally gerrymandered for partisan reasons, there won’t be enough time to redraw the state’s map before elections in November.
From NPR:
“We further find that imposing a new schedule for North Carolina’s congressional elections would, at this late juncture, unduly interfere with the State’s electoral machinery and likely confuse voters and depress turnout,” Judges James Wynn Jr., William Osteen Jr. and W. Earl Britt wrote in their order Tuesday.
Last week, the same panel of judges in the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina said that a 2016 congressional redistricting plan was made with the express purpose to “ensure Republican candidates would prevail in the vast majority of the State’s congressional districts.” The court said the Republican-created plan violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, the First Amendment, and Article I of the Constitution.
Republicans involved in drafting the 2016 map had created it with the intent of making 10 Republican House seats and three Democratic ones, according to the court.
Those numbers match the state’s current representation in Congress — though statewide, vote totals were far more even between parties in the 2016 election. Almost 2.4 million people voted for President Trump, while 2.2 million voted for Hillary Clinton.
What’s the status on redistricting efforts across the country? Who are the major players involved in these debates at the state level?
GUESTS
Reid Wilson, National correspondent, The Hill; @PoliticsReid
David Daley, Senior fellow, Fairvote; author, “Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy”; former editor-in-chief, Salon.com; @davedaley3
Katie Fahey, Founder and executive director, Voters – Not Politicians
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
© 2018 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.
Copyright 2018 WAMU 88.5
