State Rep. Pricey Harrison, D- Guilford, wants to reinvigorate a bill to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission.
She joined a bipartisan coalition pushing for reform at a press conference last week.
"We have overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, we passed a similar measure two years ago," Harrison said. "It's time for us to take up this redistricting reform."
Voting rights advocates say both parties have taken advantage of the current laws by drawing voting maps that benefit whoever is in power. They argue the only way to prevent costly litigation and special elections is to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission.
A bill to that effect won support in the House, but has stalled in committee since February 2015.
Later this month, 10 retired judges will gather in Raleigh to draw a new, but unofficial, map of the state’s congressional districts. It’s the second of three events designed to simulate an independent, nonpartisan redistricting panel. The project is meant to show how independent political redistricting might function in North Carolina if adopted.
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