It's time to enact fair redistricting
Published July 28, 2017
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, July 23, 2017.
Gov. Roy Cooper promised last weekend that Democrats, if returned to power in 2020, will implement independent, nonpartisan redistricting.
Was that a serious commitment to good government or a campaign pitch? Time will tell, but voters should press Democrats and Republicans to enact this important reform.
Skepticism about Democrats’ intentions is warranted. Democrats rejected Republican calls to support a fair system of drawing political boundaries when they ruled the legislature before 2010. It was a profound mistake because, after Republicans won big victories in 2010, they were able to stack the deck against Democrats. Now Democrats want Republicans to do what they refused to do, and Republicans refuse to do what they once demanded. In politics, power triumphs over principle.
Republicans hold large majorities in the state legislature now, and their leaders show no sign that they will voluntarily give up their prerogative to create legislative and congressional districts that benefit their party. They probably see Cooper’s promise as either a political ploy or naive.
In partisan redistricting, the party in charge creates as many districts as possible that contain majorities of its voters. As a result, most elections are foregone conclusions, and many aren’t even contested by the minority party.
Republicans have done this expertly but recently have sustained defeats in the courts for using race as too much of a factor in creating some districts. When they redraw these districts, as required by the courts, they could lose an advantage.
Cooper’s gambit is timely.
For one reason, it’s popular. The latest Public Policy Polling survey found that two-thirds of Americans like the idea of independent redistricting, or turning the process over to some authority with no vested political interest. Some states already have done this successfully. So the promise that Democrats will establish independent redistricting in North Carolina could induce more voters to elect Democrats.
Republican leaders, meanwhile, risk alienating those voters if they reject the proposal. Already, many rank-and-file Republicans support nonpartisan redistricting. A bill to achieve that likely could pass in the state House of Representatives — if Speaker Tim Moore would allow a vote. But so far he hasn’t.
Of course, Republicans hope to hold their majorities through the 2020 elections, which would keep them in the driver’s seat when new census numbers require the next general redistricting. But they can’t afford to be overconfident. The political fates could turn against them by then, and refusing to support nonpartisan redistricting now could prompt the Democrats to stick it to the Republicans once again when they get the chance.
Cooper’s promise, after all, isn’t his to keep. Governors have nothing to do with redistricting; legislatures have that job. If they regain power in the House and Senate, Democrats could yield to the temptation to resume gerrymandering to solidify their advantage.
Voters should expect better. They are the ones who are poorly served by partisan redistricting. They are denied the chance to participate in meaningful, competitive elections. Instead, they’re taken for granted. Gerrymandering also produces highly partisan government. There’s no incentive for Republicans and Democrats to work together when they all run for re-election in their safely partisan districts. There is little room for moderates in the halls of power.
Nonpartisan redistricting leads to more competitive districts, more accountable representation and better government. So Cooper’s promise deserves support, and that shouldn’t depend on which party has the power to get it done.
