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But I think they use demographic data (% minorities) now as a primary driving force, though of course party registration as well. This is one reason I think EVERYONE should switch their registration in NC to UNAFFILIATED--it makes it harder for "them" to gerrymander. Since Unaffiliateds can vote in either Rep or Dem primaries, that option actually gives the greatest choice in Primary elections while having no disadvantage in General elections. The biggest disadvantage is that you get junk mail/calls from BOTH sides, but overall, the less the PTB can guess about population from them party registration, the less control they have over gerrymandering to fit their own party. I urge anyone who is concerned about gerrymandering to go to the State Board of Elections site and download a change of registration form (or go by a pulbilic library) and switch to Unaffiliated. I am pleased to see that new registrations favor Unaffiliateds by a significant number over Rs and Ds.
But I think they use demographic data (% minorities) now as a primary driving force, though of course party registration as well. This is one reason I think EVERYONE should switch their registration in NC to UNAFFILIATED--it makes it harder for "them" to gerrymander. Since Unaffiliateds can vote in either Rep or Dem primaries, that option actually gives the greatest choice in Primary elections while having no disadvantage in General elections. The biggest disadvantage is that you get junk mail/calls from BOTH sides, but overall, the less the PTB can guess about population from them party registration, the less control they have over gerrymandering to fit their own party. I urge anyone who is concerned about gerrymandering to go to the State Board of Elections site and download a change of registration form (or go by a pulbilic library) and switch to Unaffiliated. I am pleased to see that new registrations favor Unaffiliateds by a significant number over Rs and Ds.
A big reason to switch to unaffiliated, that you mentioned is the choice to vote in the Dem or Rep primary. This spring, there was a bigger reason to vote in the Rep primary, than the Dem, since the Presidential race still wasn't completely decided. If you were Dem, you couldn't vote (but there is a good reason why Reps wouldn't want ya to though).
" In North Carolina, where the two-party House vote was 51 percent Democratic, 49 percent Republican, the average simulated delegation was seven Democrats and six Republicans. The actual outcome? Four Democrats, nine Republicans — a split that occurred in less than 1 percent of simulations. If districts were drawn fairly, this lopsided discrepancy would hardly ever occur."
I'm unaffiliated but plan on switching to Democrat. My minds made up, I'm fed up, they lost my trust.
There is absolutely NO way I will ever, ever vote Republican again. I trusted they'd focus on the economy. I gave them a chance. I voted Obama/McCrory. I was going to vote Dalton but I cared more about the economy and recovery.
I also thought having a Charlotte mayor as Governor would give us favors. Instead, we are being ripped apart and I can't recall our relations with Raleigh (government Not city) couldn't be worse! Stuff like stripping away our airport bill in Raleigh splits Partisan Democrats VS. Republicans. HOW is that a partisan issue?!?!?!
Of course some people are happy but I'm speaking on behalf of my feelings.
I think the election maps are very unfair. Don't care whose been doing it. Governor McPope keeps talking about "common sense" steps. To me, redrawing the maps to fairly represent votes is common sense....
I do find it comical when democrats complain about gerrymandering. Part of me says talk to me in 2110 and we fix the problem then. But going forward I think the way to do it in 2020 is:
1. Take the state population; divide by the number of districts.
2. Start at the OuterBanks and move a vertical line east until you get the population of 1 district.
3. Repeat for the number of districts.
If you happen to draw a line through a voting block….too bad.
Simple and blind….no bias.
I think we should address this after the republicans have the same 100 year control the democrats had. Once it's evened out time wise, then we address it evenly.
Sure, but before we do that, first white people should be enslaved for 100 years, to address the years that blacks were enslaved. Just to be consistent of course. And a hundred years of genocide by smallpox to compensate the indians for their treatment too.
The point here is that punishing people living today for policies of the past that they don't support is ludicrous.
Progressive democrats living in this state were shut out of their own party by gerrymandering from conservative democrats in the east, and they opposed gerrymandering and called for electoral reform for decades... but the party in power is always corrupted.
I think that the dems have decent chances to retake the general assembly in 2014 though. Republicans pushed way too far, clearly overestimating how much they could get away with. If they had just done one or two crazy radical things, it might've gone down smoothly. But they're acting like this is Oklahoma or Mississippi and they can just do whatever they want. They're not immortal... If dems win a 7% majority of votes statewide they could take back both houses.
I think if that does happen, then you'll see the Republicans pass election reform shifting district drawing to independent commissions during their lame duck month (because otherwise democrats could just gerrymander all over again--remember the governor can't veto district maps).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Highgate Happy
Well then we can also say the democrats are hypocrites, as they had 100 years of control, gerrymandering all over the place and never complained until the republicans gained control. All of a sudden we start hearing the democrats complain. One is as bad as the other. You can't call out just the republicans.
Democratic voters in this state opposed gerrymandering. It allowed a corrupt good-old-boys network to take over the party and entrench themselves. There has always been a conflict between progressive and conservative democrats ("dixiecrats" or "jessiecrats") in this state, and the progressives have always been living under the thumb of someone else's unfair districts. I will point out also that Republicans were never as disenfranchised as democrats in general are now. The congressional districts were relatively fair in our lifetimes. And the state districts were also fairly balanced--drawn by a bipartisan process due to relatively even control of both houses by both parties over the past 20 years. Republicans and Democrats pretty much traded off who had the majority over the past 20 years, and it always reflected who won the majority of votes, but now that's not the case.
that the Dems, in control for 100+ years never worried about *their* gerrymandering practices because they never believed they could lose an election? yes, that's a great point.
I think we should address this after the republicans have the same 100 year control the democrats had. Once it's evened out time wise, then we address it evenly.
I agree 100%. Isn't it always this way. Party in control takes advantage and ignores the other party's plea for equality. Then the other party gets into office and here come the court cases. It's our turn. Be a grownup and suck it up!
that the Dems, in control for 100+ years never worried about *their* gerrymandering practices because they never believed they could lose an election? yes, that's a great point.
Under the current gerrymander it would take the Democrats winning by margins of 60-40 just to win a bare majority in the state house and senate. Please point me to any point in the 100 years of democratic gerrymandering where the republicans won a majority of votes and did not take the house or senate
I'll make this easy on you, you won't find one, since the reason that the republicans were out of power for 100 years is that they could not win a majority of the vote, not because of democratic gerrymandering.
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