NORTH CAROLINA’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION SUPPORTS LAWSUIT AGAINST “UNCONSTITUTIONAL” RIGGED GERRYMANDERED VOTING MAPS

U.S. Representatives David E. Price (NC-04), G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Alma Adams, above, (NC-12), the Democratic members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, issued a joint statement in support of the lawsuit filed Friday challenging North Carolina’s congressional map under the North Carolina Constitution:

“We fully support this new effort to ensure voters finally have fair congressional districts. North Carolinians understand the damage political gerrymandering inflicts on our democracy. Over the past decade, large numbers of voters have been systematically silenced by the politically imbalanced districts produced by the North Carolina General Assembly intended to create a baked-in advantage for Republicans.

“The North Carolina Constitution states that “all elections shall be free.” To protect this guarantee, a fair map must replace the current unconstitutional gerrymander.”

In 2016, the General Assembly was ordered to redraw the congressional map because it illegally cracked and packed voters on the basis of race. The replacement map, used in the 2016 elections, was manipulated to produce an extreme partisan gerrymander, favoring Republicans over Democrats.

Plaintiffs in the suit are being supported by the National Redistricting Foundation, the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NRDC). The NDRC is chaired by Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States.