B
North Carolina's voting map favors Republicans, who hold 10 of the state's 13 seats for the House of Representatives. A panel of federal judges has said the map was gerrymandered, unconstitutional and should be changed.
But that won't happen before the November midterm elections.
The panel of judges on Tuesday ruled there simply wasn't enough time to have the map changed and approved before November. And a new map could "confuse voters and depress turnout," the judges wrote in an order.
The ruling last month that the state's voting map would have to be redrawn was a huge win for Democrats, who are vying to win a majority of the House, Senate or both in this year's crucial midterm races.
But the decision drew concerns over the timeline as the final ruling came in late August and primary contests had already concluded. Ballot printing was also delayed.
"We conclude that there is insufficient time for this Court to approve a new districting plan and for the State to conduct an election using that plan prior to the seating of the new Congress in January 2019," the judges wrote in their order.
The court added that the current voting districts would not be used after the 2018 election.
In 2016, Democrats and election advocacy groups sued to have the boundaries redrawn. The back-and-forth process has gone on for two years and Republicans can still appeal the judge's ruling.
Initially, judges left open the possibility of postponing the November election to allow time for the maps to be redrawn, according to The News & Observer. The postponing of the races would have certainly put the state in the national spotlight as Democrats need to gain 23 seats from Republicans to gain control of the House.
But this isn't the first controversial redrawing of voting maps. The map was redrawn in 2016 because other federal courts determined two districts originally drawn in 2011 were illegal because of excessive racial bias.
- Christal Hayes
No comments :
Post a Comment