{"id":2897,"date":"2025-11-03T14:24:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/?post_type=press&p=2897"},"modified":"2025-11-03T14:49:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:49:33","slug":"watauga-voters-ask-court-to-stop-state-lawmakers-gerrymandered-county-voting-map-ahead-of-2026-election","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press\/watauga-voters-ask-court-to-stop-state-lawmakers-gerrymandered-county-voting-map-ahead-of-2026-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Watauga voters ask court to stop state lawmakers’ gerrymandered county voting map ahead of 2026 election"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2897","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","press_type":146,"authors":"","related_issues":[62,417],"related_work":false,"location":36},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"\"\"\r\n

The request is part of a lawsuit filed by Watauga voters after the legislature blocked results of a countywide vote choosing fair local districts over state lawmakers\u2019 manipulated versions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nBOONE, NC \u2013 Watauga County voters today asked a federal court to block the use of unconstitutional county voting maps imposed by Republican state legislators for the 2026 election.\r\n\r\nInstead, the voters are asking the court to order use of new districts already approved by Watauga residents in a countywide vote, or revert to election methods used prior to the legislature\u2019s manipulated versions.\r\n\r\nThe legislature\u2019s gerrymandered Watauga maps were introduced by Sen. Ralph Hise, who was also heavily involved with the October 2025 congressional redistricting which produced the most gerrymandered congressional map in North Carolina\u2019s history.\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s request for a preliminary injunction<\/a> is related to a lawsuit filed last month<\/a> by Watauga County voters joined by the nonpartisan groups Watauga County Voting Rights Taskforce and Common Cause North Carolina.\r\n\r\nThe lawsuit, Watauga County Voting Rights Task Force v. Watauga County Board of Elections,<\/i>\u00a0was filed on Oct. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The suit challenges the legislature's gerrymander of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Watauga County Board of Education.\r\n\r\nThe suit also challenges an unconstitutional law passed by the legislature to block the results of a countywide referendum that was placed on the 2024 ballot in response to the legislature\u2019s gerrymander, in which an overwhelming 71% of Watauga voters voted to adopt fair districts for Watauga County elections.\r\n\r\n\u201cWatauga County voters would suffer deep and irreparable harm to our fundamental constitutional freedoms if the unlawful districts imposed on us by Raleigh politicians are used for the 2026 election,\u201d said Ray Russell, a former Watauga County Commissioner and a plaintiff in the case.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re asking the court to provide relief to the people of our community so that our rights are respected and we have a voice in choosing who represents us in our local government.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhether it\u2019s our congressional districts or local county lines, every North Carolinian deserves fair maps that reflect communities \u2013 not politicians\u2019 self-interest,\u201d said Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina.<\/strong> \u201cOur fight in Watauga and across the state is about returning power to the people.\u201d\r\n

Background on the case: Watauga County residents challenge an unconstitutional abuse of power by politicians in Raleigh<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nAs chair of the NC Senate\u2019s Elections Committee in 2023, Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County pushed through controversial legislation<\/a>\u00a0dictating sweeping changes to the structure of Watauga County Board of Commissioners elections and imposed gerrymandered commissioner districts to benefit his preferred candidates.\r\n\r\nAnother bill<\/a>\u00a0sponsored by Sen. Hise then forced the Watauga County Board of Education to also use the same gerrymandered districts, further undermining fair elections for residents.\r\n\r\nThe legislation manipulated voting maps to single out students at Appalachian State University, packing most into two overpopulated districts and undermining their voices in elections. To do this, the maps split multiple voting precincts \u2013 for instance, one precinct northwest of the town of Boone straddles three different districts. The maps create a nearly 10% variance from biggest to smallest district that dilutes the overall voting power of disfavored Watauga residents.\r\n\r\nIn 2024, members of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners responded to the blatant gerrymander by voting to place a referendum on the 2024 ballot that would allow local voters to choose whether to adopt fair voting maps. The process for doing that is provided to all county commissions under North Carolina law<\/a>.\r\n\r\nUnlike the legislature\u2019s gerrymandered map, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners proposed two at-large seats and three districts drawn under the conditions that:\r\n