Congressional Redistricting in North Carolina 1991-92

Abstract

Each American state has sets of electoral districts from which representatives are sent to the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. Every ten years, following the completion of the federal census, the electoral districts must be redrawn to reflect changes in population numbers and distribution over the prior decade. This exercise in political cartography is of critical importance because it identifies the foundation building blocks on which democratic representative government rests. At first glance, redistricting appears a relative mechanical exercise, but in reality it is complex and time-consuming, complicated by political competition and legal challenges, and usually produces a plan that is controversial in some part. It is a process in which political, legal and geographical elements intermesh. The goal is fundamentally geographical, to create acceptable new districts that are shaped around regional variations in population numbers, racial composition and political party affiliation. However, in operation, redistricting is inherently political in nature, with the political party in power doing its best to maximize its power base, to protect its incumbents and to further its chances for political gain at the expense ofits opponents. The process also involves state and national laws, their interpretation and enforcement, and legal procedures.