# NC Federal House Districts unconstitutionally gerrymandered **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 10, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306 "2018-01-10T12:00:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/101 "2018-01-19T06:50:00Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Interesting. Did Scalia’s death release Thomas from a witch’s spell, much like in the fairytale of Brothers Grimm? > [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > One can only hope. 🙂 So much for that fantasy. The marionette strings were only transferred from Scalia to Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/102 "2018-01-19T14:28:35Z")
This may work out. Remember that the more gerrymandered you make the districts, the more vulnerable you are if the tide turns against your party. Well, the tide does appear to be turning strongly, doesn’t it? This November might see those numbers reversed. Yes, like you I’d rather see democracy triumph, but if it can’t, then some getting even and comeuppance will do in the meanwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/103 "2018-01-19T14:48:13Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > This may work out. Remember that the more gerrymandered you make the districts, the more vulnerable you are if the tide turns against your party. Well, the tide does appear to be turning strongly, doesn’t it? This November might see those numbers reversed. > > Yes, like you I’d rather see democracy triumph, but if it can’t, then some getting even and comeuppance will do in the meanwhile. Yeah, I’ve definitely had the same thought, and how sweet the comeuppance would be. However, I live in a heavily gerrymandered district that used to be part of a Democratic district represented by a moderate-to-conservative Democrat; now, I’m in Mark goddamn Meadows’s district, and he won his last election by 28 points. There’s no question that Republicans gerrymandered this district far more than Democrats had: it used to be that the entire city of Asheville was in the district I was in. Now, not only am I part of a sliver of Asheville in Meadows’s district, but they even drew lines right down the middle of Warren Wilson College’s campus, such that students living in neighboring dorms were placed in different districts. Our district made [national news](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/30/560909678/not-so-fun-run-gerrymander-5k-joggers-trace-asheville-s-electoral-districts) with the Gerrymander 5K race held by the League of Women Voters to draw attention to its absurdity. The only real chance that I’ll get in a Democratic district is if the court rules on this bullshit gerrymandering, or if I move. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/104 "2018-01-19T16:31:15Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The only real chance that I’ll get in a Democratic district is if the court rules on this bullshit gerrymandering, or if I move. Please don’t move - the only way to change things is if progressives move \*into \*conservative districts and vote the jerks out. Adding one more vote to a D+5 (or whatever) district does no good at all for the country. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/105 "2018-01-19T16:36:17Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, I’ve definitely had the same thought, and how sweet the comeuppance would be. However, I live in a heavily gerrymandered district that used to be part of a Democratic district represented by a moderate-to-conservative Democrat; now, I’m in Mark goddamn Meadows’s district, and he won his last election by 28 points. With recent results in mind, 28 points isn’t impossible. Granted, I’ve never heard of Mark Meadows (holy shit, he’s a furriner!), but it seems he’s done everything he can to hitch himself to Trump’s wagon. A GOOD moderate Democrat with the right strategy could make it close. It would be easier if they got rid of the bullshit, but dem’s da breaks, for now. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/106 "2018-01-19T17:57:27Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > With recent results in mind, 28 points isn’t impossible. Granted, I’ve never heard of Mark Meadows (holy shit, he’s a furriner!), but it seems he’s done everything he can to hitch himself to Trump’s wagon. A GOOD moderate Democrat with the right strategy could make it close. > > It would be easier if they got rid of the bullshit, but dem’s da breaks, for now. Dude, Mark Meadows isn’t a foreigner: he was born to two American citizens on a US Army Base in France. Nice try, though! 😃 And maybe you haven’t heard of him, but have you heard of the “Freedom Caucus”? He’s one of the biggest blowhards in that group, and is clearly very ambitious. He’s awful. Edit: Oh, and I ain’t moving, **Folacin** , for many reasons–but I welcome you to come on down and join the fight with us, if you’re not already here! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/107 "2018-01-19T19:00:40Z")
When I was in college, the campus (Villanova) was split between five different state districts, because they didn’t want on-campus and near-campus students to form a voting bloc. And there certainly are some issues we would have voted as a bloc on, like the zoning laws that made it impossible to legally house the entire student body. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/108 "2018-01-19T20:56:19Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Dude, Mark Meadows isn’t a foreigner: he was born to two American citizens on a US Army Base in France. Nice try, though! 😃 > > And maybe you haven’t heard of him, but have you heard of the “Freedom Caucus”? He’s one of the biggest blowhards in that group, and is clearly very ambitious. He’s awful. > > Edit: Oh, and I ain’t moving, **Folacin** , for many reasons–but I welcome you to come on down and join the fight with us, if you’re not already here! All I saw on his Wikipedia page was that he was born in France. I didn’t really look into his history, positions, or other stuff. I DID note he is the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, so I view him as a _insert politically motivated insult here_, but beyond that…eh. Keep fighting the good fight, though! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/109 "2018-08-28T00:20:46Z")
[Bump](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/2018/08/27/fc04e066-aa46-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html?utm_term=.5eb0ca4bb975) > [@](#): > > A panel of three federal judges held Monday that North Carolina’s congressional districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to aid Republicans over Democrats and said it may require new districts before the November elections, possibly impacting control of the House. > > The judges acknowledged that primary elections have already produced candidates for the 2018 elections but said they were reluctant to let elections take place in congressional districts that it has twice found violate constitutional standards. Woah. I’m skeptical that we’ll actually get the new districts in time, but we really really should. I don’t give a wet far that it means we’d only have an election season comparable to that in nearly every other democracy, instead of the 18-month monstrosity we have now; if we get to vote in districts that result in a fair representation of our citizenry, it’s worth whatever inconvenience is causes to career politicians. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/110 "2018-08-28T00:41:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [Bump](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/2018/08/27/fc04e066-aa46-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html?utm_term=.5eb0ca4bb975) > > Woah. > > I’m skeptical that we’ll actually get the new districts in time, but we really really should. I don’t give a wet far that it means we’d only have an election season comparable to that in nearly every other democracy, instead of the 18-month monstrosity we have now; if we get to vote in districts that result in a fair representation of our citizenry, it’s worth whatever inconvenience is causes to career politicians. Strike three, fellas! Think you can get it right this time? [Better work fast …](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/north-carolina-congressional-map-thrown-out-798609) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/111 "2018-08-28T00:58:17Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Strike three, fellas! Think you can get it right this time? [Better work fast …](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/north-carolina-congressional-map-thrown-out-798609) Interesting point–with the Supreme Court down one vote, it’ll be hard to get them to hear an appeal. My prediction: McConnell just rams Kavanaugh the fuck through, in time to hear and grant the NCLeg’s appeal, and we’re back to districts that everyone agrees are extremely gerrymandered for blatant partisan purposes, i.e., to disenfranchise as many Democrats as they can. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/112 "2018-08-28T01:18:02Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Strike three, fellas! Think you can get it right this time? [Better work fast …](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/north-carolina-congressional-map-thrown-out-798609) Well holding new primary elections on Election Day (Nov 6th) itself and then holding a special election in December is an interesting option. Any change this could backfire horribly and North Carolina could somehow default to electing it’s House delegation at-large? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/113 "2018-08-28T01:22:32Z")
> [@](#): > > …seeking to invalidate the map that gave Republicans 10 of the 13 U.S. House seats in 2016 with just 53% of the statewide popular vote… [https://www.axios.com/federal-court-north-carolina-congressional-map-gerrymandering-40b42c55-1470-42d5-9335-1ae539da516a.html](https://www.axios.com/federal-court-north-carolina-congressional-map-gerrymandering-40b42c55-1470-42d5-9335-1ae539da516a.html) It would seem that secular atheist Democrats never heard of the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/114 "2018-08-28T01:31:35Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Well holding new primary elections on Election Day (Nov 6th) itself and then holding a special election in December is an interesting option. Any change this could backfire horribly and North Carolina could somehow default to electing it’s House delegation at-large? You mean like everyone could choose 13 candidates, and the top 13 would win, thus enabling Republicans to take all 13 slots? That’s nearly impossible. [The state constitution says](https://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Download/Maps_Reports/2011RedistrictingGuide.pdf) (I’m quoting a different doc that quotes the constitution, btw): > [@](#): > > Sec. 5. Representative districts; apportionment of Representatives. > The Representatives shall be elected from districts. The General Assembly, at the first regular session convening after the return of every decennial census of population taken by order of Congress, shall revise the representative districts and the apportionment of Representatives among those districts, subject to the following requirements: > (1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of > inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the district that > he represents by the number of Representatives apportioned to that district; > (2) Each representative district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; > (3)No county shall be divided in the formation of a representative district; > (4) When established, the representative districts and the apportionment of > Representatives shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial > census of population taken by order of Congress. So I don’t think they can do away with districts without a constitutional amendment, which would need to appear on–you guessed it!–the November 6 ballot. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/115 "2018-08-28T01:35:23Z")
Plus, it would be contrary to federal law, which requires single-member districts. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/116 "2018-08-28T01:39:47Z")
Dang, I just met the Dem nominee in my district. Shame if she put all that effort into her campaign against a fundamentalist white dude and got moved to compete against a different fundamentalist white dude. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/117 "2018-08-28T01:40:30Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Plus, it would be contrary to federal law, which requires single-member districts. I didn’t believe you at first, but [you’re absolutely right](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/2c) (link for any other unnecessarily skeptical folks out there). ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/118 "2018-08-28T02:05:06Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I didn’t believe you at first, but [you’re absolutely right](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/2c) (link for any other unnecessarily skeptical folks out there). I haven’t looked to see the genesis of this, but I would expect that federal voting-rights cases would disfavor multiple-member districts, as being diluting of minority votes. I didn’t read the new decision yet. How did they solve the standing issue that got it sent back to them in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/119 "2018-08-28T10:45:33Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > I didn’t read the new decision yet. How did they solve the standing issue that got it sent back to them in the first place? None of the articles I read answered that, IIRC. I’d also be interested to hear that–and to hear explained, in layman’s terms, what the standing issue exactly was in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306/120 "2018-08-28T21:01:58Z")
It seems to me that any citizen of North Carolina should have standing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nc-federal-house-districts-unconstitutionally-gerrymandered/806306.md?page=7)