NC NAACP Statement on First Redistricting Hearing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 16, 2011

For More Information:        Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                                            Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

                                            Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700

DURHAM - A three judge panel held the first hearing today in the North Carolina NAACP, et. al., v. State of North Carolina redistricting lawsuit. The NC NAACP continues this fight because we know the maps adopted by the General Assembly are a scheme to increase the political power of the ultra-conservative leadership in the General Assembly at the expense of the power of the African-American vote. 

Today, the North Carolina NAACP offered a timetable for the litigation that would allow the court to expeditiously hear the case on the merits prior to the start of the 2012 election process. Our desire is for the court to resolve the case by mid-February so that the election cycle is not disrupted. In the event this is unattainable, we ask the court to keep in place the maps from the prior election cycle until the conclusion of this litigation.

The State of North Carolina argued that the new redistricting maps, which we believe are unconstitutional, should be implemented for the 2012 elections while this case is being litigated. They contend that the case is complicated and it could take a long time to litigate. In the meanwhile, they suggest, the court should presume the maps are constitutional and choose to let elections occur under the new maps which resegregate our state.

We find this to be a fundamentally unfair and unreasonable request. It would be a travesty to hold elections under maps that are later found to be unconstitutional. Once the elections are conducted and the office holders in place, there would be no remedy to correct the harm to the people of North Carolina.

We continue to fight efforts to resegregate our state and diminish the power of the minority vote through cleverly disguised race-based schemes. We will not stand idly by when 48% of the African American voters are packed into just 3 U.S. House Districts, 52% of the African American voters are packed into just 27 of the 120 State House Districts and 47% of the African American voters are packed into just 10 State Senate Districts.

The plans unnecessarily and unjustifiably split 563 voting precincts throughout the state, usually along racial lines. Voters in the same neighborhood or same street are split into different political districts. An African-American adult has a 50 percent greater chance of living in a precinct split by the plans than does a White adult.

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