Parties submit new NC redistricting maps

Judges’ Ruling to be announced on Feb. 23

In the latest chapter in the high-stakes North Carolina battle over new redistricting maps, The Carolina General Assembly and three plaintiffs who took legal action against the maps originally submitted turned in new maps to a three-judge panel on Friday, Feb. 18.

The Superior Court judges have requested that three special masters help in reviewing the submissions and will announce their decision on Wednesday, Feb. 23, by noon. The plaintiffs and the General Assembly have until 5 p.m. on that day to appeal the judges’ decision to the North Carolina Supreme Court.

If no appeal is sent to the higher court, candidate filing for offices opens at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, and closes on March 4. The state’s 2022 primaries are set for May 17.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court struck down as “unconstitutional” the redistricting maps that had been previously approved by a three-judge lower court panel. It gave the General Assembly two weeks to re-draw them and submit to the original three-judge Superior Court panel by that Feb. 18 deadline.

Among a group of plaintiffs filing new maps was Rebecca Harper, who accepted the NC House map because it passed on a bipartisan vote, but objected to the Congressional and NC Senate maps, which her attorneys contend were passed on party lines.

Common Cause didn’t provide maps, but it did ask that a district each in the House and Senate be redrawn so that they don’t dilute the power of minority voters.

And the third plaintiff was the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, which submitted the same maps that it has presented earlier in the case.

Of local interest, the new NC House map created by the General Assembly still cuts through Kill Devil Hills, which means that Duck, Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk, along with a portion of KDH, would be in one House District and the southern portion of the county and mainland would be in a different district.

The proposed Senate map has changed and placed State Senator Bob Steinburg’s county of residence, Chowan, back into the current district while eliminating Currituck County. Currituck County is the home of State Representative Bobby Hanig, who currently represents Dare County. Hanig announced his intention to run for senate when that district included his home county.