Timing is everything in politics.
Gov. Bev Perdue recently suggested that the newly elected Republican legislature establish an independent redistricting commission this year. The GOP should ignore her proposal. The timing isn't right, and even if it were, there's not enough time to do it properly.
First, the timing. Perdue did not loudly champion such a nonpartisan approach to redistricting until her party lost control of that process. Now, faced with the likelihood that the GOP will treat Democrats as poorly as Democrats treated Republicans for more than a century, Perdue wants to change the game. But that would be changing the game on voters, too. Voters chose Republicans to run the legislature in 2011, and Republicans deserve the opportunity to show what they can do on redrawing legislative and congressional maps.
The Journal has endorsed an independent commission — but for the redistricting process that begins in 2021. Again, timing is essential.
North Carolinians need time to consider the concept of an independent commission and two key questions: Who would serve on it, and what information would they have as they prepare maps? Provide the wrong answers to these questions and the independent commission would be no better than the current system.
The problem today is that parties, not legislators, redraw maps. The majority party concentrates minority party members into a limited number of districts, thus assuring it can control the remaining districts. Legislators then take their cues from their party leaders.
To undo this problem, the legislature would have to create a nonpartisan commission with members independent of the parties.
North Carolina needs time to build toward a consensus on where it might find the truly noble residents to serve on such a commission, and it needs time to digest the implications of how that commission would operate.
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