Drive Public Awareness of the Need for Fair Maps

We are sharing this Action alert from All On the Line NC:

Recent polling shows that a majority of North Carolinians – including Republicans – support efforts by the courts to ensure that maps are fair and constitutional. But the politicians who drew these gerrymandered maps are already spinning their own narrative in an effort to delegitimize any outcome they don’t like – even signaling that they might impeach judges they disagree with.

The work we need to do now is to build public understanding and support for maps that allow North Carolinians to choose their representatives. Here’s how you can help:

1. Investigate: Spend a few minutes looking at how each map (NC House, NC Senate, US House) treats your community. Do the lines make sense? Is your community divided, or grouped with areas that have different interests? How will you be represented under these maps? Use this form to organize your thoughts and share them with AOTL NC. (You will be emailed a copy of your answers once you submit). This will help us understand the maps from a local perspective and connect you with opportunities to share your story.
2. Communicate: Share your perspective in a Letter to the Editor, on your neighborhood listserv or newsletter, and on social media. Use this toolkit to help you get started. Remember – most people probably haven’t been paying as close attention to redistricting as you have. This is a great opportunity to inform and engage new people who care about fair elections.
3. Amplify: Over the next few weeks, pay attention to news articles and social media posts about redistricting, and share with your networks. There’s a lot happening, and amplifying media on this issue is essential to cutting through the noise.

The redistricting plans may be up to the courts now, but we still have an opportunity to inform the public about why this matters and make our case for Fair Maps in the court of public opinion.

Background

Last week, the North Carolina Supreme Court granted a preliminary injunction on the enacted congressional and legislative maps, delaying the 2022 primary election until May 17 so that the case(s) can be heard by the courts before an election takes place. This is great news!

On Monday, attorneys for plaintiffs in one case, Harper v. Hall, amended their earlier complaint on the congressional maps to also challenge the NC legislative plans as extreme partisan gerrymanders that violate the Free Elections, Equal Protection, and Freedom of Speech and Assembly Clauses of the North Carolina Constitution. The case will be heard alongside NCLCV v. Hall by a 3-judge panel of the NC Superior Court at Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh on Jan. 3-6, 2021. A decision is expected by Jan. 11.