Q&A: What is Redistricting and How Will It Affect NC?

This Q&A is excerpted from a State Innovation Exchange telephone townhall featuring North Carolina State Reps. Terry M. Brown Jr. and Brian Turner. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

What is redistricting?

State Rep. Terry Brown Jr.: Redistricting is the process states use to draw the maps that determine which district you live in.

As per our Constitution, district lines are redrawn every 10 years based on new census data. And North Carolina is in the redistricting process right now.

Why is redistricting important?

State Rep. Terry Brown Jr.: Redistricting is important because you want representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly or up in DC to reflect the community that you live in. With the new census numbers, we're also getting another congressional seat. So that's going to be a huge change for us.

We want to make sure that we redraw districts in the fairest way possible, and the only way to do that is by showing how many people in North Carolina care about this.

So I encourage everyone to make sure that you, your friends, and your family are engaged in this process. Go to ncleg.gov; there's a tab called "Redistricting" on the right-hand side where you can leave public comments.

Every single member of the House and Senate gets those [public comments]. They may not always respond, but they always see them. And I've been in committee meetings where members pause the process just because they've received so many emails. There's power in that.

Three white primary election voters arrive at polling place in Arlington Virginia. Sign reads, "Vote. Photo ID Required."

How would you like to see North Carolina expand access to voting?

State Rep. Brian Turner: The best thing we can do is get rid of the voter ID requirement. But if it withstands the court challenge, and we have to live with it, I'd want to see the broadest number of IDs eligible to be used, like college student IDs or utility bills. I think it goes a long way to making sure that people have access to the ballot.

State Rep. Terry Brown Jr.: I'd like to see North Carolina continue practices that we had during the pandemic, like when we allowed voter registration through the North Carolina DMV system online. It's important to meet people where they are.

I also want to see expanded early voting locations and hours. The reasons I hear most from people who don't vote is that they didn't have time, didn't know where polling places were located or weren't aware of the elections.

Some politicians in states like Georgia want to create barriers to voting. Are you concerned that some of those threats will come back to North Carolina?

State Rep. Terry Brown Jr.: The threat is always going to be there. If one state is doing something, several other states are not too far behind. We have had some very bad bills introduced here in North Carolina, but luckily, not to the same extent as we've seen in Georgia.

That's why this redistricting process is so important. The maps will determine the future of our state and what type of policies are introduced for the next ten years.

Submit a Public Comment at NC.gov

Submit a public comment about the ongoing redistricting process in North Carolina.

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Mary Lou from Charlotte believes that voter ID is a good thing. Can share how voter ID laws affect voter access in North Carolina?

State Rep. Brian Turner: During my first election in 2014, I was working the polls out in Leicester, a rural area in Buncombe County. And many of the voters only came to town once or twice a year and didn't have a driver's license. They're like my grandma, who was born in Flag Pond, Tennessee, on a farm.

These are folks who don't have access to IDs because they don't need them in their day-to-day lives. And just because you don't participate in our economy the way others do, it shouldn't disqualify you from having your voice heard. Your vote counts just as much as anybody else.

Sometimes we have to revisit some of the assumptions in our lives. I've been used to having an ID my whole life. But there are plenty of folks out there who have never had one. I think we need to be sensitive and recognize that.

What does the right to vote mean to you?

On November 3rd 1992, the day after my 18th birthday, I walked down to my local polling place. I was first in line, I was so excited to vote, to have a chance to decide who was going to be our president, our senator, our county commissioner. It really empowered me.

And that's something that I want to make sure that everybody in North Carolina has the opportunity to do. I want to make sure that when they walk into a polling place, that they're not being asked six different questions, all with the intent of keeping them from casting their ballot. That is something that I'm going to fight for as long as I'm in the General Assembly.

There's nothing more basic to our democracy than being able to vote, and it's being threatened. But it will not be undone. Because you've got folks like me, like Rep. Brown, and a bunch of others in Raleigh, who are fighting to make sure that it is preserved.

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Terry M. Brown Jr.

NC State Representative

Brian Turner

nc State Representative

Q&A: Voting Rights in North Carolina

This Q&A is excerpted from a State Innovation Exchange telephone townhall featuring North Carolina State Representatives Ashton Clemmons, Amos L. Quick, and Pricey Harrison.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Can you talk about the struggle for voting rights happening across the country?

Rep. Ashton Clemmons: Every person in North Carolina and the U.S.—no matter who they are—should have an equal voice in electing our state's leaders. But there are four main reasons why we aren't living up to that ideal.

First, there is a blatant attack on voting rights to make it harder for people to vote instead of easier. Second, we are lessening the voices of some folks by packing them into districts through gerrymandering. Third, is the undue influence of money and politics. Corporations overtly influencing the outcomes of elections is an assault on what should be: that no matter how much money you have, your voice is equal. And fourth, we see an intentional effort to undermine the three branches of government by making the judiciary more partisan and limiting executive power at state legislative levels.

What existing barriers make it harder for North Carolinians to vote?

Rep. Ashton Clemmons: Right now, we have the voter I.D. provision in litigation. And the research is very clear that voter I.D. laws would disproportionately affect the elderly and voters of color in North Carolina.

We've seen efforts to lessen the amount of early voting time from three weeks to one week. We've also seen proposals requiring mail-in ballots be received by five o'clock on election day instead of up to six days after election day.

What is gerrymandering?

Rep. Amos L. Quick: The simplest explanation is: gerrymandering is the drawing of voting districts and manipulating boundaries to give an unfair advantage to one party over another.

Pile of "Voted" stickers with American flag — *Photo by Element5 Digital/Unsplash*

What is independent redistricting?

Rep. Amos L. Quick: Right now, we have a process where politicians pick their voters—redistricting power belongs to the dominant party in the legislature.

Independent redistricting is a process that would take power out of the hands of politicians—who are most directly advantaged by drawing their own districts. An independent commission would draw fairer districts that more accurately represent the populace that will be voting.

This is my third term, and I think there's been a bill filed every term since I've been here for some type of independent redistricting commission. It gets tremendous bipartisan support, but it doesn't get a hearing in committee, nor does it get a vote on the floor since I've been in office.

I'll close with this: right now, we have a congressional delegation that does not reflect the population of North Carolina. And that's because politicians drew the lines. An independent redistricting commission would take that power out of the hands of politicians.

We have seen a lot of threats to voting rights in Georgia. Is anything like that coming to North Carolina?

State Rep. Pricey Harrison: We are not seeing bills like what has been proposed or passed in Georgia, Florida, and Texas.

The main issue we're going to face this legislative cycle, as Rep. Clemmons mentioned, is not accepting absentee ballots beyond election day.

And there's an effort to increase poll observers as part of a national trend, and poll observers can be very threatening intimidating to voters.

I'm sorry for Georgia and the other states that are having to deal with that, because it's really, really bad for voting and our democracy.

person placing a mail-in ballot into a mailbox — *Photo by @g_dezigner/Twenty20*

What is going on with redistricting, and when will we know what district we're in?

State Rep. Pricey Harrison: Right now, we do not have any kind of independent redistricting process, despite our efforts. And so it's the redistricting committees in the house in the Senate that will draw them.

We've got commitments from the leadership in the house in the senate that it will be transparent. But those who participated in the most recent redistricting will remember that it was only partially transparent.

So if we can't get the independent redistricting process going, we're committed to fighting for better access for the public to participate in the process. We are committed to protecting communities of interest and keeping counties and municipalities whole. But it doesn't look like we're going to be doing any of that until after we get the census numbers, which I believe is not until the very last day in September.

North Carolinians Supported Economic Reform Even Before the COVID-19 Crisis

A recent poll commissioned by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows North Carolina voters held deep concerns over pocketbook economic issues and support for progressive policy solutions even before the full impact of COVID-19 was felt. The poll showed that North Carolinians believe that the government should play a constructive role in people’s economic lives.

The Role of Government in the Top Issues Facing North Carolina

When asked if the state government should play a role in some of the top issues facing working families, voters overwhelmingly supported government engagement. Voters’ top priorities include:

Access to K-12 public education (86%);
Equal pay for equal work regardless of race (84%);
Access to healthcare for those struggling to make ends meet (80%);
Access to food for those struggling to make ends meet (79%); and
Affordable healthcare (77%).

Voters Support Action on Economic Policies

North Carolinians believe that a job should allow workers to earn a wage to support a family (82%), provide a steady consistent income (81%) and allow access to affordable health insurance (78%). North Carolinians overwhelmingly support these policies that help working families:

Create a paid family and medical leave insurance program, funded through shared contributions between employers and employees (85%); and
Require all North Carolina employers to provide a minimum amount of earned, paid sick days for workers (88%).

These results showed that even before the economic dislocation from the current crisis, North Carolinians wanted economic policies to make life easier for families. Now more than ever, those policies are vitally important.

Click here to see the poll memo and here for the presentation.

April Update

In late April, SiX tested the same issues again to see whether the COVID-19 crisis has changed support for those policies. These recent results show that NC voters continue to strongly support progressive policies. The vast majority of voters believe that the government should have a role in enacting progressive policy changes that would provide economic fairness, more access to affordable health care, and investments in public education. More information here.

North Carolinians’ Attitudes on Key Progressive Issues Strongly Positive

State Innovation Exchange (SiX) and the NC Budget and Tax Center (BTC) recently collaborated on an online focus group to test North Carolina voters’ attitudes on the state’s tax system, thoughts on public assistance programs, voting rights and other issues. This survey asked 150 white swing voters and 150 voters of color to provide their opinions and react to key arguments around a range of progressive policy solutions. The results showed that these groups equally support a fair tax system, helping working families gain financial security, ending gerrymandering, providing greater access to the ballot box, and more legislative efforts to ensure an economy that works for everyone.

Results of the survey can be found here.

What do North Carolina Voters Want?

Recently polling commissioned by SiX shows that voters want the legislature and the governor to focus on policies that would create an economy that works for everyone, make the investment needed for a first-class education system, and make affordable health care available to more North Carolina residents. Voters believe strongly that polluters, not ratepayers, should pay the costs of pollution. Respondents believe that voting should be as accessible as possible and oppose efforts to make access to the voting booth more difficult. Respondents also felt strongly that public dollars should be used for traditional public schools first, and oppose using taxpayer money to fund private and charter schools when public schools have inadequate funding available.

See key findings from an online survey among 600 likely voters statewide conducted February 11 to 18, 2019:

SiX Executive Director Nick Rathod Joins AM Joy on MSNBC to Discuss How States Can Lead Resistance to Trump

SiX Executive Director Nick Rathod recently appeared on AM Joy on MSNBC to discuss the North Carolina governor’s race, Rev. Barber’s Moral Monday movement, and how progressives can resist President-elect Trump’s agenda by organizing at the state and local level. “You can win back people’s hearts and minds by focusing and being where they are,” said Rathod during the segment.

Watch the clip here.