Voting districts: Former judges draft nonpartisan district map

A group of former judges has drawn a proposed map of North Carolina's congressional districts that doesn't take into account voter registration and election results. The effort produced nonpartisan districts that are more compact than the ridiculously gerrymandered districts that the ruling party in the Legislature usually turns out.

The maps were immediately criticized by lawmakers, of course. But we think the former judges are on to something.

To put it bluntly, we don't trust either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party to draw maps that are honest. Whichever party is in control of the Legislature draws maps that are in its favor, usually creating grotesque districts designed to get their candidates elected.

Those legislative maps are always being challenged in the courts, leading to round after round of redrawing the districts and confusing the voters even more. Honestly, right now, do you have a good grasp of the boundary of the congressional district you are in? We didn't think so.

We would hope the leaders of the Legislature, of both parties, would pay attention to the common sense approach the former judges took in drawing their maps. But we aren't holding our breath.

Published in Editorials on August 31, 2016 10:26 AM