HAW RIVER, N.C. — The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Friday that new political district maps drawn by Republican lawmakers are unconstitutional.
The maps would have given the GOP a long-term advantage in the state. While the Democratic-majority Supreme Court gave the Democrats a victory for now, the ball is back in the Republican-led legislature.
The Justices have ordered lawmakers to redraw their plans by Feb. 18.
What You Need To Know
N.C. Supreme Court striking down gerrymandering case puts the ball back in the Republican-led legislature
The New North Carolina Project is knocking on doors to engage Black voters who are inactive or have an inconsistent voting record
Volunteer Claire Stone says she was motivated to take action after seeing states across the U.S. restrict voting rights
“The order given by the Supreme Court Justices was not as specific as some people might have wanted,” said David McLennan, political science professor at Meredith College. “In other words, what do the new maps have to look like? In the past they have given very specific guidelines for what the maps should take into consideration, and this time it was a little bit more open-ended.”
McLennan says that Republican lawmakers have other options as well, such as doing nothing, which would allow the court to appoint a special master to draw new maps. Or they can appeal their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Challengers to the redistricting plan say it would not have been as favorable to Black voters and other voters of color. The New North Carolina Project, a nonpartisan group, is working to make sure communities of color are not left out of the political process and have their votes count.
Claire Stone, a new volunteer with the organization, knocked on doors to engage voters of color, especially people who are inactive or inconsistent with voting. The canvassing event took place in a low-to-middle class neighborhood of Black voters in Alamance County. Voter information is public. Stone and other volunteers keep track of their turf using an app on their phones.
The first house is where a 64-year-old Black man lives.
“You feel like you’re going to vote this year? You know there’s an election coming up? There’s going to be a primary in May, which is like around the corner,” Stone said. “And then there’s going to be an election in November. You think you might consider voting?”
The man, who did not want to appear on-camera, responded: “I’ll think about it. I got to see what’s going on.”
After Stone speaks to someone she has to update their information on her phone. Even if she doesn’t make contact with a voter, she makes a note of it in the app.
When she rings another doorbell, she’s surprised to learn that the person living there, Gerald McBroom, is a newly elected councilman for the town.
“Oh, yay! Good job!” Stone said. “One of the reasons why we’re coming, and on the website as well, the information of who is your councilmember? You know? When is my election and where do I go?”
Stone, who retired a year and a half ago, said she was motivated to take action after seeing voting rights being restricted in states like Georgia.
“We’re back in the '50s. We’re fighting again for civil rights,” Stone said. “Fighting again for voting rights. And I feel like I gotta do something right now. I feel great anxiety about that.”
The goal of the New North Carolina Project is to get people who vote here and there to become lifetime voters.
Volunteers like Stone also take the time to ask voters if they have any concerns with political candidates or their members of Congress, and what policy issues they care about such as education, health care and raising the minimum wage.