Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018
Republicans have been very successful in drawing political maps to their favor, including in North Carolina. But that could change if the midterm shifts power in statehouses across the country.
North Carolina's ongoing court battles over its legislative and congressional lines were the result of the 2010 midterm, which handed Republicans control of the General Assembly - as well as the redistricting process that followed that year's Census.
Similar GOP victories occured that year in many states, and election reform advocate David Daley says Republicans "lock(ed) in electoral advantages for the next ten years."
The next decade is on the ballot in 2018 https://t.co/QRBHXnKW8k
— Vox (@voxdotcom) September 4, 2018
That grip could be loosened in this year's midterms. Democrats are within striking distance of recapturing governors' seats and possibly some legislative chambers, positioning them "to be a powerful check and balance on efforts to gerrymander" in the next wave of redistricting, says the Brennan Center's Michael Li.
With the next census in mind, Democrats have renewed their focus on state-level politics https://t.co/2tniZM8VOT pic.twitter.com/YqaqJxq6De
— RealClearPolitics (@RealClearNews) October 29, 2018
What's more, five states are voting on initiatives to turn redistricting over to independent commissions.
How will the outcome of the midterm shape gerrymandering and political power at the state and national level?
GUESTS
David Daley, senior fellow, FairVote; author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count (@davedaley3)
Michael Li, senior counsel, Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program (@mcpli)