City Seeks Public Input on Three Draft Redistricting Plans

Redistricting Maps

Britt Clampitt

Britt.Clampitt@charlottenc.gov

9/23/2021

Members of the Public are Encouraged to Review the Draft Plans and Maps, and Submit Feedback

Oct. 14, 2021 (Update) – On Oct. 12, the Charlotte City Council’s Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee added a new map to the group of draft maps being considering as part of the city’s redistricting efforts.

Prior to its Oct. 12 meeting, the committee had asked Charlotte residents for feedback on three draft plans being considered for new City Council districts: maps A, B and C. The new map under consideration, B1, is an update to draft map B. It moves voting precincts 5 and 45 from District 1 to District 5.

According to Mac McCarley, attorney with Parker Poe and the city’s consultant on redistricting, the change ensures the area along Central Avenue and near the former Eastland Mall site – the site is in precinct 84 – remains an intact community of interest, having shared features and represented by the same City Council district representative. McCarley said this change is particularly important as the former mall site undergoes redevelopment.

To account for the number people that would shift from District 1 to District 5 under this new plan, draft map B1 keeps precinct 3 in District 1 to rebalance the populations of the two districts. The original map B has precinct 3 moving from District 1 to District 5.

Members of the public are asked to continue providing feedback on maps A, B, B1 and C. Review all the draft maps and sign up to speak at a public hearing during the City Council’s Oct. 18 meeting. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center will be open to the public on Oct. 18. Speakers will be able to participate in the hearing virtually or in person.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2021) – The Charlotte City Council's Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee moved three draft redistricting plans forward for public review at its Wednesday meeting. The committee is now seeking public input on the plans as it works to redraw City Council district boundaries and balance the populations of each district.

During the committee meeting, city staff also shared Charlotte's final population data from the 2020 census, which are available after a COVID-19-related delay by the U.S. Census Bureau. Charlotte's population is now 874,579, which means each redrawn City Council district should contain about 124,950 people.

Residents are invited to examine the three draft redistricting plans and provide feedback. Upcoming public engagement opportunities include:

A virtual listening session with redistricting committee members and staff on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. Interested attendees should complete the listening session registration form. The session will also be live on the city's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
A public hearing during the City Council's meeting on Monday, Oct. 18. Speakers must complete the speaker registration form to sign up.

Residents can find their district on the City of Charlotte Council Districts map and their voter precinct on Mecklenburg County's Polaris 3G map.

Map Criteria and the Draft Plans

The draft plans aim to follow criteria approved by the committee on Sept. 7. These criteria emphasize balancing populations, keeping districts compact and grouping residents with similar interests. They also try to minimize the impact of growth on future redistricting, follow voter precinct boundaries, and may consider the race of district residents, as long as race is not the predominant factor in new boundaries.

Districts 2, 3 and 4 are growing faster and contain voter precincts that are geographically larger, but fewer in number, compared to precincts in districts 1, 5, 6 and 7. As a result, it is not possible to shift precincts one-for-one across districts, and the growth criterion is particularly hard to achieve.

District 7's location and size (it is nearly the ideal district size) mean its boundaries are less subject to change.

Maps of each draft plan are available on the city's redistricting webpage. Listed with the three plans the redistricting committee moved forward for public comment is a fourth plan the committee removed from further consideration. This plan aimed to create districts with transportation corridors in common.

Draft Plan A

Draft Plan A demonstrates the least possible change from the current district map – moving as few voter precincts as possible – while meeting the constitutional requirement of population balance.

This plan moves three precincts:

In far east Charlotte, precinct 205 would move from District 4 to District 5.
Precinct 22 near the South End and Wilmore neighborhoods would move from District 3 to District 1.
Precinct 77 in southwest Charlotte would move from District 3 to District 6.

Under this plan, the Republican Party maintains its advantage in District 7, but degrades its advantage in District 6. Additionally, it puts Precinct 77 into District 6 although the precinct's population has more in common with the population in District 3 than the population in District 6.

The plan map does not meet the committee's criteria to leave room for future growth, particularly in districts 2, 3 and 4, which have grown faster than the other four districts.

Draft Plan B

Draft Plan B closely meets the committee's criteria and population balance. It moves 15 precincts, primarily along the district borders. District 7 would remain unchanged.

This map also maintains the Republican Party's historic election advantage in districts 6 and 7.

Precincts Currently in District 1:

Precincts 1, 8, 18 and 35 would move to District 6.
Precinct 3 would move to District 5.

Precincts Currently in District 2:

Precinct 54 would move into District 1.
Precinct 211 would move to District 4.

Precincts Currently in Districts 3:

Precincts 23, 24 and 81 would move to District 2.

Precincts Currently in District 4:

Precincts 26, 42 and 82 would move to District 1.
Precinct 205 would move to District 5.

Precincts Currently in District 5:

No precincts would move out of District 5. Precincts 3 and 205 would be added to District 5.

Precincts Currently in District 6:

Precinct 37 would move to District 1.

Draft Plan C

Like Draft Plan B, Draft Plan C closely meets the committee's criteria for new districts. It moves 17 precincts, and five of the seven districts differ from the ideal population of 124,950 by no more than 2%. It also maintains the Republican advantage in districts 6 and 7.