NC: Voting map opponents ask to delay 2012 primary

[supernova]

....

The lawsuit addresses all three new maps – House, Senate and congressional.
....

First, plaintiffs say, the new districts split more counties than is necessary, which they say is a violation of the state constitution as affirmed by a previous North Carolina Supreme Court ruling in a 2002 redistricting case, Stephenson v. Bartlett.

Second, they split too many precincts. According to the lawsuit, the House map splits 395 voting precincts, containing 1.86 million citizens, which amounts to 19.5 percent of the state’s entire population. The Senate maps splits 257 precincts, containing 1.33 million people. Alternative plans submitted by Democrats would have split only 129 precincts in the House and six in the Senate.

Third, the lawsuit says, the new maps “pack” higher numbers of minority voters into some districts to reduce their influence in surrounding areas. According to the plaintiffs, more than half the state’s African-American voters are packed into just three of the state’s 13 congressional districts, 10 of the 50 Senate districts and 25 of the 120 House districts.

more: http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10577624/

[barbtries]

1. they'll do anything, anything

moral or not, legal or not, discriminatory, disgusting, vile, republicans! aargh

[supernova]

2. The Repubs pull

these redistricting games every. single. decade. Sometimes I think they set about expressly to win the GA just so they can control the redistricting after the census comes out.

I wish there was another way to resolve it, other than delaying the primary. We have until Arpil 7, the deadline for the May 8 primary.