OPINION

Bipartisan push to remedy gerrymandering worth backing

ASH

Two former legislators, one from each party, are mounting a new effort to end gerrymandering in the drawing of congressional and legislative districts in North Carolina. Perhaps the radical Nature of the 2011 redistricting will provide the impetus to get action at last.

It is important to stress that this is not a partisan issue. Democrats gerrymandered for decades when they controlled the General Assembly. What has changed recently is the development of more sophisticated techniques that allow districts to be manipulated more finely, to the point of splitting precincts.

A Washington Post analysis showed that North Carolina was one of the most gerrymandered states for congressional districts. The poster boy is the 12th District, which hugs Interstate 85 from Greensboro to Charlotte in order to encompass as many African-American voters as possible.

In 2012, most North Carolinians who voted in a congressional race voted for the Democratic candidate but Republicans won 9 of the 13 seats. “A fairer map would likely have resulted in a congressional delegation that … more accurately reflected the voters’ will,” Josh Israel wrote on thinkprogress.org.

At the state level, candidates are unopposed in 79 of the 170 General Assembly races. In the mountains, no one is running against Sen. Ralph Hise, a Republican from Spruce Pine, Rep. Roger West, a Republican from the Cherokee County community of Marble, or Rep. Susan Fisher, a Democrat from Asheville.

Many people think the goal of gerrymandering is to load up as many districts as possible with voters of the party in control. Actually, the tactic is often to jam as many voters of the other party into some districts, such as the 12th congressional district, so as to leave control of many other districts with the party in power.

“Bill and I both feel very strongly that until we end gerrymandering, North Carolina will be stuck in a situation where politicians choose their votes and voters don’t get to choose who represents them,” said former Rep. Ray Rapp, a Madison County Democrat. “Bill” is former Rep. William Current, a Republican from Gastonia.

“We need to return to a government of, for and by the people and to restore citizen confidence in our state government. We want what is best for the people of North Carolina and for our future.” Rapp stated.

Given the strong support for reform, it is a bit of a puzzlement why nothing has been done. Polls show the people want change and politicians in both parties support it. In 2011, a bill to set up a nonpartisan districting commission passed the House by an 88 to 27 vote but was bottled up in the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill, of which Rapp and Current were sponsors, would set up a five-member commission. Leaders of each party in each house of the General Assembly would appoint one member each and those four would choose the fifth, who would be chair. This is similar to the system that has been used in Iowa for years.

Rapp and Current say their bill will be introduced again next year and that sponsors will include Reps. Rick Glazier, a Cumberland County Democrat, and House Speaker Pro Tem Paul Stam, a Wake County Republican. The former representatives are putting their erstwhile colleagues on the spot. They are asking each of them whether they support the proposal. Answers will be posted on the website http://www.endgerrymanderingnow.org and two Facebook pages, North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform and End Gerrymandering Now. This should tell us who thinks the present system is unfair and, more importantly, who will do something about it.