By Cassie Gavin
Senior Director of Government Relations
The N.C. General Assembly met this week to redraw voting maps after the N.C. Supreme Court recently ruled that the maps passed in 2021 were partisan gerrymanders. Yesterday the legislature passed revised maps for the N.C. House, N.C. Senate and U.S. Congress. House Democrats agreed to the revised House maps (all Democrats present voted yes except for five). Democrats did not agree to the Senate and U.S. Congress map revisions that were passed.
What's next? A three-judge panel of the N.C. Superior Court will decide by Feb. 23 on whether or not to approve the new maps from the NCGA, or they may ask three “special masters” named by the court to draw different maps. The N.C. Supreme Court will monitor the redraw and could step in to make final decisions. Candidate filing for the 2022 primary (previously delayed to May 17) is scheduled to resume on Feb. 24 and end March 4; but this could be delayed again by the N.C. Supreme Court if voting maps are not yet finalized.
The Sierra Club supports fair elections and independent redistricting for North Carolina. In past years lawmakers filed a variety of bills to create an independent redistricting commission, but legislative leadership have not allowed these bills to be voted on by the full General Assembly.
WRAL's report has more details.