Redrawn North Carolina Senate districts have become the subject of a new lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections, the president of the state Senate and Speaker of the state House of Representatives, which alleges the new Senate districts violate the Voting Rights Act.
“Despite having ample evidence of racially polarized voting and a history of discrimination in the ‘Black Belt counties’ of northeastern North Carolina, and an obligation under the Voting Rights Act to analyze that evidence before drawing districts, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted a Senate plan that unlawfully deprives Black voters of the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice,” the suit states.
The state Supreme Court has previously rejected similar maps, agreeing the proposed districts went against the state’s constitution as it was deemed “extensive partisan gerrymandering.” The decision was then overturned by the court’s new conservative majority, claiming partisan gerrymandering can’t be resolved by state courts.
This lawsuit is just another example of North Carolina’s tumultuous history of gerrymandering and redistricting. The General Assembly’s GOP-majority approved maps giving them a heavy advantage in the 2024 election over Democrats. The lawsuit argues the new maps divide predominantly-Black counties, effectively suppressing their votes. As the maps currently stand, North Carolina’s eight majority Black counties are spread over four different Senate districts.
The plaintiffs also argue the General Assembly did not do a Voting Rights Act analysis when planning its 2023 state Senate plan. Legislators could have made a district with a majority of minority voters, but instead, as currently drawn, the maps hinder and suppress Black North Carolina voters.
“Black North Carolinians, including in the [predominantly] Black Belt counties, are significantly more likely to be impoverished than white North Carolinians,” the plaintiffs in the suit said. “They likewise face discrimination in education, housing, employment, and healthcare and are less able to participate effectively in the political process.”