Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s a week in review: New CEO: Amy O. Cooke has joined the John Locke Foundation as its new CEO. Cooke is also the new publisher of Carolina Journal. Before joining...
New maps proposed for 2020 legislative elections emerged from the most open, transparent process North Carolina ever has used to draw election lines. It would be a shame to see those maps tossed out through a process that lacks the same degree of transparency. But that opaque outcome remains a distinct possibility. It depends on...
Defendants in Common Cause v. Lewis spurned plaintiffs’ objections to their new 2020 House election maps, claiming the objections “appear to be the product of the partisan goals of the North Carolina Democratic Party.” Plaintiffs last week accused House Republicans of partisan bias in five separate county groupings, arguing for a referee to redraw them....
The redistricting court in Common Cause v. Lewis issued several strict guidelines last month to the General Assembly on how to draft its new 2020 election maps. But will the court’s appointed referee have to follow the same rules? The answer is unclear. The court’s ruling states the referee, Stanford Law Professor Nathaniel Persily, will “assist...
The General Assembly’s new election maps, as they are now, would largely even the playing field for 2020, experts say. Both chambers passed the others’ maps Tuesday, Sept. 17. Redistricting analysts have since evaluated the maps through a relatively new technology, Planscore, which attempts to measure partisan favorability. The metric shows a decrease in the...
With a fast-approaching deadline, the Senate passed its 2020 legislative district map with bipartisan approval, voting 38-9. During floor discussion Monday, Sept. 16, some Democratic lawmakers rehashed concerns brought up earlier in committee. Some said that unpairing incumbents — that is, drawing lines to ensure two elected senators don’t have to run against one another...
One down. One to go. The House passed a new district map, and it’s on its way to the Senate. It was a grueling week. After a three-judge Superior Court panel handed down its ruling last week in Common Cause v. Lewis, the General Assembly had two weeks to pass new maps addressing partisan outliers...
Republican primary, state House District 59 • Rep. Jon Hardister (incumbent, three terms). Education: Greensboro College, political science degree. Occupation: Vice president for marketing of family owned First Carolina Mortgage. Career highlights: House Majority Whip, named legislator of the year by various organizations, board member of numerous civic and college organizations, chairman or vice chairman...
A state three-judge panel refuses to jettison standard legal procedure to address partisan goals.
UPDATE: This story was updated 6:52 p.m. Wednesday, February 7, with additional comment from Gannon. With the exception of Wake and Mecklenburg counties, candidates for most offices in North Carolina — legislative and congressional — will file during the upcoming filing period, without changes, says State Board of Elections spokesman Patrick Gannon. A three-paragraph order...
The U.S. Supreme Court has added more confusion to North Carolina’s election picture — agreeing to block a lower court’s ruling in legislative redistricting affecting the state’s two largest counties. Justices split three ways on how to proceed in the case. A three-paragraph order handed down Tuesday, Feb. 6, partially grants the N.C. General Assembly’s...
Get Reminded When We Go LIVE on Election Night!
