In the latest episode of "They Can Only Win When They Cheat," yesterday North Carolina Republicans pitched new maps for the state’s 2024 congressional districts that appear to threaten the reelection of at least three current Democratic U.S. House members. Via Associated Press:
North Carolina’s congressional delegation is currently split between seven Democrats and seven Republicans following the 2022 elections conducted using a map that was drawn by a panel of trial judges. Supporters of that plan said it reflected North Carolina’s usually close races for statewide elected office.
But statewide election data attached to Wednesday’s proposals — results designed to determine partisan performance — indicate one of the Senate’s proposals would create 10 districts that appear to favor a Republican candidate, three that favor a Democrat and one that could be considered competitive. In the other proposal, Republicans would appear to be in a good position to win 11 of the 14 seats. It wasn’t immediately clear which of the plans — or a hybrid — will advance in the Senate.
[...] The state Supreme Court agreed in April that legislators could take another crack at drawing their own district boundaries for use through the 2030 elections because the premise upon which they drew the maps used in 2022 was wrongly decided by the previous Democratic majority on the court.
This is why judicial elections are so important. Don't skip them, people! Another trip to a higher court is in North Carolina's future. Voting rights litigator Marc Elias is on the job:
