Oops, They Did It Again –

For the fifth time in six years, we have new Congressional maps in North Carolina. Republicans have turned what was meant to be a once-a-decade process to account for new Census figures into their bludgeon for molding elections to go their way. 

This week, Republicans in the State House and Senate green-lit a new Congressional map to be used for the upcoming midterm elections. It is part of a national strategy, demanded by President Trump, to ensure that Republicans can maintain their razor-thin majority in Congress, despite their overwhelmingly unpopular agenda. 

And it’s just the latest in a series of actions Republicans have taken to try to swindle their way to victory. In fact, these new maps come just two weeks before the anniversary of last year’s election of Justice Allison Riggs, which Republicans tried to overturn for six months. 

Since North Carolina Republicans already changed the state’s maps in 2023 to move the state from a 7-7 split between Democratic and Republican favored districts (a fair split in a state that regularly votes 50-50 in statewide elections) to a 10-3 split favoring Republicans, there wasn’t much they could change. Except for Congressional District 1, home to North Carolina’s only swing district and the only Black male representative, Don Davis. 

So Republicans reassigned a large chunk of voters from Congressional District 1 – predominantly Black voters – into Congressional District 3. Now these voters, split over two Congressional districts, don’t have the voting power they used to, and Republicans are expected to comfortably win both districts, along with nine others. And thus a state that should have 50-50 Congressional representation is going to have an 11-3 delegation dominated by Republicans. 

Shouldn’t we be able to stop something like this? Unfortunately, state law prevents Democratic Gov. Josh Stein from vetoing legislation related to redistricting. And the state Supreme Court, which had previously served as an independent check against these blatant power grabs, has itself been taken over by extreme partisanship in the last few years. 

While the Court previously blocked partisan gerrymandering, once a Republican majority took over in 2022, the Court backtracked and greenlit the state legislature to freely gerrymander without court oversight. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby even said there is no guarantee to “fair” elections in North Carolina.

That’s not to say North Carolinians are going along with it quietly. Thousands of you showed up to last Saturday’s No Kings rallies across the state, and hundreds of you protested at the legislature this week. North Carolinians have repeatedly shown they don’t approve of gerrymandering and want fair elections. And court challenges are likely. 

This week’s actions by the state legislature is frustrating, but it’s not the final word. That always belongs to the people. We must continue to show up, to speak out, and to vote in elections that determine who our representatives are in Raleigh and in D.C. and to restore a fair and independent judiciary in North Carolina. Change won’t happen instantly, but together we can build a more just future.