Mecklenburg redistricting could yield big change for 1 county seat
Voting districts could change in a big way for the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners if members approve one of the three maps unveiled Tuesday.
The board reviewed three potential maps as part of the redistricting process — a once-a-decade effort to redraw district boundaries in hopes of making them more equal in population.
Proposed maps A and B would make few changes, but map C would alter Districts 4, 5 and 6 substantially. All three options would make the district populations close to equal.
Typically, redistricting fuels political debates about whether the majority party will use the process to make elections more difficult for the minority. The method of redrawing on partisan lines, called gerrymandering, has historically had a disproportionate impact on Black people, including in North Carolina.
The Board of Commissioners is currently comprised completely of Democrats. City Council, by contrast, has two Republicans, so redistricting there could have more of a partisan impact. It was unclear to what extent map C would change the partisan makeup of any Mecklenburg County district.
Big changes in redistricting map
The Board of Commissioners is comprised of six districts. Voters in each district elect one representative for the commission. There are also three at-large members elected countywide.
A presentation to elected officials Tuesday night laid out the possible impacts of each map: How overall population numbers would shift in each district, and how the three options would alter racial and ethnicity demographics.
In map C, Districts 1 and 3, in the north and northeast portions of the county, would not be substantially changed. District 2, in the west, would extend more south than it does now, but would remain largely the same.
District 6, though, which currently stretches across much of southern Mecklenburg County, would instead cover just the south-central portion of the county. District 5 would be shifted north into uptown, and District 4 would take over the eastern corner.
Here are some highlights from the potential demographic changes to Districts 4, 5 and 6:
▪ District 4 would become slightly more white, while the percentage of Black people would dip. The Hispanic population would remain roughly the same.
▪ District 5 would change the most prominently when it comes to race. Its Hispanic population would increase from 10.6% to 12.8%; its Black population would increase from 10.8% to 16.7%; its white population would decrease from 72.9% to 65.7%. Its Asian population would dip slightly.
▪ District 6 would see a moderate increase in the percentage of Hispanic and white people, while its Black population would decline by about 2%.
Next steps
Commissioners agreed to send all three maps forward in the process. They will review them again on Oct. 19 during a public hearing, which members of the public can attend and participate in.
The board plans to select one of the three options on Nov. 3.
Commissioners had mixed reactions to the maps on Tuesday. Susan Rodriguez-McDowell of District 6 acknowledged that map C contained “a lot of disruption,” but “I also think this is a time when we should keep communities whole, and it’s an opportunity to set things right that maybe haven’t always been right.”
Elaine Powell of District 1 said map C “looks really good,” while Leigh Altman, an at-large member, warned that it is “not inconsequential to change the district for 60 precincts.”
Primary elections for the Board of County Commissioners, the city of Charlotte, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the state legislature are scheduled for March 2022, though the date could change as redistricting continues. A general election for the City Council and the school board is scheduled for April or May 2022, along with a possible second primary for federal offices.
The only Mecklenburg County elections in fall 2021 are for the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, and Stallings.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 11:56 AM.
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