Gerrymandering/Redistricting

Ann Webb says the Republican maps amount to a power grab and suppress the voices of voters, especially in Black communities. Webb is policy director with Common Cause North Carolina, a government watchdog group. ANN WEBB: We know that all voters deserve to have their vote count equally, and that is not what these maps do. And it is clear that that was not the intent of the legislative leadership.

The “issues that we’re seeing focused on in the legislature also do not reflect the views and priorities of most North Carolinians,” Ann Webb with Common Cause North Carolina said at a Wednesday news conference. “When you create noncompetitive legislative maps, you lose accountability to the voters.”

Jay Heck, executive director of government watchdog group Common Cause of Wisconsin, said the fact that Republicans put the plan on such a fast track makes supporters of nonpartisan maps suspicious. “A month ago, there was no even inkling that most Republican members of the Legislature were supportive of redistricting reform,” he said. “And so the matter of believability and trust, I think, really comes into play here as we begin this process.”

Jenny Guzman, program director for Common Cause Arizona, says the AIRC can be a lot stronger and more independent. "The way the current Arizona redistricting commission works is in order to appoint commissioners, the first few have to be appointed by the Arizona state party leaders. That can make things a little tricky," she explained. Guzman said that meant fewer "guardrails" to ensure all races were properly represented in the redistricting process. She says this negatively impacted Arizona. "Which is why we lost a state legislative district that empowered Native American voters, so because of that it is really important to ensure that moving forward, the Arizona legislature and also the courts are able to uphold the Voting Rights Act of 1965," she continued. Guzman added if that is not achieved, she supports what she calls "comprehensive voting rights reform," that includes clauses for the independent redistricting commission.

“Having fair maps makes elected politicians responsive to the needs and wants of the people by having elections where voters make the calls,” Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said following Tuesday’s ruling. “We deserve better, and the law demands better, than the current voting maps that prevent Georgia’s communities on the margins of society from having a meaningful say in the halls of Congress.”