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Proposed NC Legislative Maps Mean New Political Tug Of War

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published August 23, 2017 at 12:32 PM EDT
NC State lawmakers have created a new version of the political map for the state.
Wikimedia Commons
NC State lawmakers have created a new version of the political map for the state.

North Carolina lawmakers released new voting maps last weekend. The freshly-drawn district lines come after 28 House and Senate districts were found by the U.S. Supreme Court to be illegally gerrymandered along racial lines. 

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Rusty Jacobs, WUNC politics reporter, and Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, about North Carolina lawmakers proposed new voting maps.

According to political data released in the wake of the new maps, most of the proposed districts will still lean Republican, and the new maps would lead to few competitive districts. Whether or not Republicans will hold onto super-majorities in the legislature is up for debate.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Rusty Jacobs, WUNC politics reporter, and Michael Bitzer,  political science professor at Catawba College, about the new maps and the future of political control in the state.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio