North Carolina's state legislators have again approved a set of gerrymandered legislative and congressional maps that expert analysts suggest could potentially flip control of the U.S. House and artificially keep the current General Assembly majority in control for another decade even if they win less than half the statewide vote.
In response, the N.C. Sierra Club and N.C. League of Conservation Voters issued the following statement:
Without a healthy democracy, North Carolinians can't have a healthy environment. Every voter should have an equal opportunity to elect leaders who reflect their values and who will protect their rights to clean air, clean water, and clean energy. But with these maps, legislators made deliberate choices to pre-ordain election outcomes that favor polluters over people and that disenfranchise millions of North Carolinians.
This is particularly true for voters of color, who are hurt first and worst by pollution, climate change, and voter suppression measures like this. Historically, redistricting has been used to exclude communities of color from representation in local, state, and congressional decision-making. Now, our legislature is continuing that legacy. We hope the courts will bring these voters justice and order these maps to be redrawn from scratch.
Going forward, redistricting for Congress and the General Assembly should always be done by an independent, nonpartisan citizen commission. Politicians should have no power to pick their voters; voters should have the power to pick their leaders.