Next Hullabaloo: Redistricting

For the past several decades the people of North Carolina have entrusted such important (yet seemingly boring) decisions of political lines and boundaries to elected officials.

Determining the physical boundaries for the purpose of political representation is called redistricting.

Shortly after 1987 when I first entered politics by running for then District B (East Raleigh) on the Raleigh City Council, councilors re-drew the lines governing political districts. Many in East Raleigh were moved from District B into District C.

This meant that neighborhoods such as Oakwood, Longview, Rollingwood and others along New Bern Avenues were now considered Southeast Raleigh.

The significant growth in North, South and West Raleigh suggests that redistricting time is here again.

With this huge growth Raleigh and Wake County must consider several options. Is it time, for instance to expand the number of at-large seats? Carve out another district? How will it be decided?

It will first be directed by those elected officials who will want to protect their current ‘turf’. Meaning that some representatives only want to draw lines where their re-election has a better chance. What's disturbing is that it's one of the few times that folks from both major political parties have the same goal. Re-election.

Even more-so with regards to the political boundaries for county, state and Congressional districts. In terms of Congress, there is no redistricting required for the US Senate seats, as each of the 50 states will always have only 2.

To get the basics behind redistricting and the partisan and 'bi'-partisan innuendoes, watch and play The Redistricting Game.