EMBARGOED RELEASE 9:00PM, 20 JULY 2011
Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700
Atty. Irv. Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-530-6293
Atty. Jennifer W. Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700
On July 16, 2011 the NC NAACP and the NC Alliance of Black Elected Officials convened a meeting of elected officials, grassroots advocates, and civil rights activists/attorneys to discuss redistricting. During the meeting there was broad consensus around this general statement regarding redistricting. To join in support of this statement please go to hk.nationbuilder.com and sign the petition.
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE REGARDING REDISTRICTING
Progress towards addressing North Carolina's well-documented history of disenfranchising African American voters has been made only by vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. As leaders, experienced in participatory democracy as candidates, elected officials, advocates and voters we know first hand the impact that redistricting has on the political process.
We stand by the principle that in order to be fair to all North Carolina citizens, a redistricting plan must be drawn to appropriately reflect the diversity of viewpoints, interests and needs throughout the state. Unfortunately, the plans that have been introduced to date fail to reflect this principle. Most alarmingly, black voters are packed into a few districts to minimize their influence. The voting strength of moderate and progressive voters is devalued and diminished, while the voting strength of conservative voters is overrepresented. Women incumbent legislators in the House and Senate are disproportionately paired in districts with other incumbent legislators. Alternative community-driven plans demonstrate that the imbalances are not necessary and they are not legally required by federal or state law.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act was designed to insure that racial minorities had a fair and equal chance to vote and elect representatives of their choice and it outlawed any voting scheme or plan which negatively impacted that vote. Despite the passage of the Act, it was not until 1968 that one African American was elected to the NC General Assembly and not until 1980 that more than four African Americans were elected to the General Assembly at the same time. Additionally, it was not until 1992 that an African American was elected to Congress from North Carolina. This history has resulted in landmark US Supreme Court decisions.
We urge the General Assembly to reverse course and take a least-change approach to redrawing the lines, by preserving the cores of existing districts, keeping voting precincts whole, moving as few voters as is legally required and preserving communities of interest. We are not willing to allow the Voting Rights Act to be a scapegoat for extreme and unfair partisan manipulations.
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