America's most gerrymandered congressional districts

[JimH52]

America?s most gerrymandered congressional districts

2. Three of the 10 most-gerrymandered districts are in North Carolina.
North Carolina Republicans really outdid themselves in 2012. In addition to the 12th district, there's the 4th, which covers Raleigh and Burlington and snakes a narrow tentacle all the way south to pick up parts of Fayetteville. And then there's the 1st District, which covers a sprawling arbitrarily shaped region in the northeastern part of the state. All three of these seats were won by Democrats in 2012.
Overall, the North Carolina GOP's efforts paid off handsomely. Based on their statewide vote share you'd expect North Carolina Democrats to hold about seven seats. But they won only four. This is because an outsized share of the state's Democratic voters were shunted off into the three highly-gerrymandered districts above.

But as the white population becomes a minority to blacks and Hispanics in the next couple of years, it will be more and more difficult for GOP statehouses to carve out their safe congressional seats. If the GOP was smart it would start an aggressive campaign right now to reach out to these segments of society, instead of holding up immigration reform and alienating African Americans.

Will it happen?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I notice it does not mention that the 12th was drawn by the force of federal law? You know the one that stretches like 80 miles to give a black majority. It snakes along a major highway and is absolutely illegal under North Carolina law but the feds made it stick.

 

[occupied]

America?s most gerrymandered congressional districts

2. Three of the 10 most-gerrymandered districts are in North Carolina.
North Carolina Republicans really outdid themselves in 2012. In addition to the 12th district, there's the 4th, which covers Raleigh and Burlington and snakes a narrow tentacle all the way south to pick up parts of Fayetteville. And then there's the 1st District, which covers a sprawling arbitrarily shaped region in the northeastern part of the state. All three of these seats were won by Democrats in 2012.
Overall, the North Carolina GOP's efforts paid off handsomely. Based on their statewide vote share you'd expect North Carolina Democrats to hold about seven seats. But they won only four. This is because an outsized share of the state's Democratic voters were shunted off into the three highly-gerrymandered districts above.

But as the white population becomes a minority to blacks and Hispanics in the next couple of years, it will be more and more difficult for GOP statehouses to carve out their safe congressional seats. If the GOP was smart it would start an aggressive campaign right now to reach out to these segments of society, instead of holding up immigration reform and alienating African Americans.

Will it happen?

No, most of their platform is built on fear of THOSE people.

 

[JimH52]

I notice it does not mention that the 12th was drawn by the force of federal law? You know the one that stretches like 80 miles to give a black majority. It snakes along a major highway and is absolutely illegal under North Carolina law but the feds made it stick.

Galled you, did it?

 

[sameech]

I once worked for a political action committee that helped the democrats design proposed districts in NC and other places. I primarily worked on other things but I did help out with one of the projects for a few weeks. IIRC, it was a teacher's union that was involved with having us be the ones to do it. Either way, race and housing values were big factors in how we nudged the borders.

Both sides do it. If you want to criticize the system, that is fine, but please do not pretend that this is some GOP dirty trick. I've been there and I have done it, and you are wrong if you think that is the case.

 

[Google]

America?s most gerrymandered congressional districts

2. Three of the 10 most-gerrymandered districts are in North Carolina.
North Carolina Republicans really outdid themselves in 2012. In addition to the 12th district, there's the 4th, which covers Raleigh and Burlington and snakes a narrow tentacle all the way south to pick up parts of Fayetteville. And then there's the 1st District, which covers a sprawling arbitrarily shaped region in the northeastern part of the state. All three of these seats were won by Democrats in 2012.
Overall, the North Carolina GOP's efforts paid off handsomely. Based on their statewide vote share you'd expect North Carolina Democrats to hold about seven seats. But they won only four. This is because an outsized share of the state's Democratic voters were shunted off into the three highly-gerrymandered districts above.

But as the white population becomes a minority to blacks and Hispanics in the next couple of years, it will be more and more difficult for GOP statehouses to carve out their safe congressional seats. If the GOP was smart it would start an aggressive campaign right now to reach out to these segments of society, instead of holding up immigration reform and alienating African Americans.

Will it happen?

To you all minorities are the same. They are monolithic, they have no diversity of opinion, they are essentially zombies that blindly support a political party.

Chicago, LA, Detroit, NY, Atlanta--every major Democrat stronghold is a cesspool of poverty, failing schools, violence--and you believe that the people suffering from Democrat policies will just continue to vote Democrat.

There is a large segment of the black community that is religious and embraces conservative principles. As the culture continues to be pushed further and further to the left there is going to be a pushback.

 

[guno]

America?s most gerrymandered congressional districts

2. Three of the 10 most-gerrymandered districts are in North Carolina.
North Carolina Republicans really outdid themselves in 2012. In addition to the 12th district, there's the 4th, which covers Raleigh and Burlington and snakes a narrow tentacle all the way south to pick up parts of Fayetteville. And then there's the 1st District, which covers a sprawling arbitrarily shaped region in the northeastern part of the state. All three of these seats were won by Democrats in 2012.
Overall, the North Carolina GOP's efforts paid off handsomely. Based on their statewide vote share you'd expect North Carolina Democrats to hold about seven seats. But they won only four. This is because an outsized share of the state's Democratic voters were shunted off into the three highly-gerrymandered districts above.

But as the white population becomes a minority to blacks and Hispanics in the next couple of years, it will be more and more difficult for GOP statehouses to carve out their safe congressional seats. If the GOP was smart it would start an aggressive campaign right now to reach out to these segments of society, instead of holding up immigration reform and alienating African Americans.

Will it happen?

The neo confederate bible thumping crackers in charge here in NC days are numbered

 

[blackhawk]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

 

[JimH52]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Yup, and I will admit that both parties have done it. The Dems did it and help the House for 40 years, if I remember correctly. Now the GOP is doing it. But with each decade the demographics are changing. The black and Hispanic portions of the population are increasing dramatically. The 2020 Census will be astounding.

 

[depotoo]

I once worked for a political action committee that helped the democrats design proposed districts in NC and other places. I primarily worked on other things but I did help out with one of the projects for a few weeks. IIRC, it was a teacher's union that was involved with having us be the ones to do it. Either way, race and housing values were big factors in how we nudged the borders.

Both sides do it. If you want to criticize the system, that is fine, but please do not pretend that this is some GOP dirty trick. I've been there and I have done it, and you are wrong if you think that is the case.

Thanks for this post.

 

[Nyvin]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Maryland votes 60% Democrat anyway, about the same percentage as Oklahoma does for Republicans. Only in Maryland the Republicans won 1 district, in Oklahoma the Democrats won zero.

In North Carolina the Democrats WON the popular vote for the House...and yet only won four out of 13 districts.

At best..the Maryland Democrats Gerrymandered themselves 1 competitive-leaning GOP seat into 1 safe Dem seat. In North Carolina the Republicans literally Gerrymandered a full 3 seats away from the Democrats.

 

[blackhawk]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Yup, and I will admit that both parties have done it. The Dems did it and help the House for 40 years, if I remember correctly. Now the GOP is doing it. But with each decade the demographics are changing. The black and Hispanic portions of the population are increasing dramatically. The 2020 Census will be astounding.

Doesn't mean both will automatically vote Democrat though as many on the left seem to think.It's more likely given the history of past elections blacks will continue to vote Democrat that has not been the case with Hispanics the last two elections they went with Obama the two before that Bush they are not locked into either party a wise decision.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The Republicans have only controlled the NC Legislature for about 4 years. Prior to 2010 all the Gerrymandering was done by the Democrats and as I recall we never had anyone in the press complain about it AT ALL.

Only something like 7 percent of Journalists are identifying themselves as Republican while something like 80 percent identify as democrats. Perhaps the reason this story is so biased toward painting Republicans as the bad guys is because the PRESS has an agenda?

Further except for the 12th District which mas mandated by Federal force of will the NC laws in question require that districts encompass whole counties where possible. And where not possible they still maintain as much of a county as possible in a single district.

 

[thereisnospoon]

America?s most gerrymandered congressional districts

2. Three of the 10 most-gerrymandered districts are in North Carolina.
North Carolina Republicans really outdid themselves in 2012. In addition to the 12th district, there's the 4th, which covers Raleigh and Burlington and snakes a narrow tentacle all the way south to pick up parts of Fayetteville. And then there's the 1st District, which covers a sprawling arbitrarily shaped region in the northeastern part of the state. All three of these seats were won by Democrats in 2012.
Overall, the North Carolina GOP's efforts paid off handsomely. Based on their statewide vote share you'd expect North Carolina Democrats to hold about seven seats. But they won only four. This is because an outsized share of the state's Democratic voters were shunted off into the three highly-gerrymandered districts above.

But as the white population becomes a minority to blacks and Hispanics in the next couple of years, it will be more and more difficult for GOP statehouses to carve out their safe congressional seats. If the GOP was smart it would start an aggressive campaign right now to reach out to these segments of society, instead of holding up immigration reform and alienating African Americans.

Will it happen?

Umm. The premise you present is based on the arrogant belief that all members of minority groups will vote in democrat lockstep.
Oh, don't forget NC 11 which went democrat ( Heath Schuler) in 2008, went back to the GOP in 2010.
The democrats had many years in NC ,100 for that matter, to draw districts for themselves.
And please, let's not have the pot calling the kettle black here. Democrats have done prety well for themselves with scratching out districts for themselves. Cutting counties and towns in half. Drawing district lines down the middle of main roads for the purpose of pitting people in the same community against each other. And lets not forget the postage stamp sized urban districts that all but guarantee democrat incumbency. For example, Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Nancy Pelsoi( D-CA) are House members for life.
So what happened? Looks like you whine and cheese got spoiled.

 

[Nyvin]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Yup, and I will admit that both parties have done it. The Dems did it and help the House for 40 years, if I remember correctly. Now the GOP is doing it. But with each decade the demographics are changing. The black and Hispanic portions of the population are increasing dramatically. The 2020 Census will be astounding.

Doesn't mean both will automatically vote Democrat though as many on the left seem to think.It's more likely given the history of past elections blacks will continue to vote Democrat that has not been the case with Hispanics the last two elections they went with Obama the two before that Bush they are not locked into either party a wise decision.

False! In 2000 Bush received 35% of the hispanic vote, in 2004 he received 44%.

 

[Zander]

Gerrymandering is fine, as long as the Democrats are the ones drawing the lines.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Guess what? The 1st district is ALSO a Federal Construct designed to ensure a black majority.

So that is 2 of the supposed Republican gerrymandered district that the republicans had nothing to do with.

High Court Upholds N.C. Voting District - ABC News

Previously, no African-American had represented North Carolina in Congress in close to a century. Similar boundaries were drawn in the state's 1st Congressional District in Eastern North Carolina with similar effect, electing Rep. Eva Clayton.

I suggest the reporters involved in this hatchet piece get new jobs.

 

[thereisnospoon]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Maryland votes 60% Democrat anyway, about the same percentage as Oklahoma does for Republicans. Only in Maryland the Republicans won 1 district, in Oklahoma the Democrats won zero.

In North Carolina the Democrats WON the popular vote for the House...and yet only won four out of 13 districts.

At best..the Maryland Democrats Gerrymandered themselves 1 competitive-leaning GOP seat into 1 safe Dem seat. In North Carolina the Republicans literally Gerrymandered a full 3 seats away from the Democrats.

"In North Carolina the Democrats WON the popular vote for the House...and yet only won four out of 13 districts."
That is true but not accurate. Democrat voting base is located in urban districts which make up just over half of the state's population.
For example, the counties of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Durham and Wake contain half of the people in NC.. That's 7 of the State's 100 counties.
And again. democrats controlled the NC legislature and the governor's office for over 100 years. When dems drew districts to favor themselves, no one complained. When the GOP draws districts, lefties have a shit fit.
As long as districts like NC 12 exist, you lefties should just keep your mouths shut.

 

[whitehall]

Left wing blog zombies need to get better sources than the NY Times. The North Carolina 12th district was created from scratch by the democrat majority during the Clinton administration after the 1990 census and is the most laughably gerrymandered district in the US. It even looks lake a salamander.

 

[Nyvin]

I noticed Maryland and North Carolina are essentially tied for being the most-gerrymandered state.

Maryland votes 60% Democrat anyway, about the same percentage as Oklahoma does for Republicans. Only in Maryland the Republicans won 1 district, in Oklahoma the Democrats won zero.

In North Carolina the Democrats WON the popular vote for the House...and yet only won four out of 13 districts.

At best..the Maryland Democrats Gerrymandered themselves 1 competitive-leaning GOP seat into 1 safe Dem seat. In North Carolina the Republicans literally Gerrymandered a full 3 seats away from the Democrats.

"In North Carolina the Democrats WON the popular vote for the House...and yet only won four out of 13 districts."
That is true but not accurate. Democrat voting base is located in urban districts which make up just over half of the state's population.
For example, the counties of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Durham and Wake contain half of the people in NC.. That's 7 of the State's 100 counties.
And again. democrats controlled the NC legislature and the governor's office for over 100 years. When dems drew districts to favor themselves, no one complained. When the GOP draws districts, lefties have a shit fit.
As long as districts like NC 12 exist, you lefties should just keep your mouths shut.

Show me a year when the Democrats lost the popular vote in NC yet held a majority of congressional house districts (let alone 9 out of 13)