News Clips

A billboard greeting drivers as they enter downtown Wilson urges residents to weigh in on North Carolina’s legislative redistricting process.

Many speakers called for more transparency in the redistricting process and asked that future hearings be livestreamed online. "I am disappointed perhaps that this is not a livestreamed event," said Bob Phillips, with Common Cause North Carolina, a voter advocacy organization. "There’s a lot of people who would probably like to participate from the comfort of their home."

“The public’s voice matters in how new legislative and congressional maps are drawn in North Carolina,“ Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause NC said in a press release. ”As the COVID-19 virus ravages our state once again, it is disappointing that lawmakers are holding a series of public hearings on redistricting without an opportunity for community members to take part virtually in these meetings from the safety of their homes.”

On a recent evening, Tyler Daye, an organizer with Common Cause North Carolina, hosted an online seminar for residents of the city of Wilson on an important but arcane topic: redistricting.

Every state in the country can start redrawing political maps after the U.S. Census Bureau releases local population data on Thursday. But attention to the process, and any potential shenanigans, may be more intense in North Carolina than anywhere else. The redrawing process is called redistricting. But when boundaries get skewed to favor a particular political party or group, it’s gerrymandering.

More than 20 experts from leading research and advocacy organizations proposed reform measures for North Carolina in a report titled "Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy." The report zeroes in on policy discussions around voting, redistricting, campaign finance reforms and judicial accountability.