Whoever draws the maps holds the power in NC. I want to change that. | Opinion

Editor’s note: The writer is the Democratic Leader of the N.C. House.

In my time at the North Carolina General Assembly, there is one issue that can often fly under the radar for the general public. It’s redistricting.

Redistricting is one of those issues in politics that does not seem too important until you dig into what the power to draw the maps really is. It is the power to protect yourself and your party from being accountable to voters.

When you think about the implications of that power, you can see why redistricting is so important. Powerful legislators have the ability to draw the districts that they want to run in. This flips the concept of democracy that we all were taught in school — the idea that it is the voters who pick their representatives.

Gerrymandering — the process of manipulating the districts in a way to stack the odds in favor of your side — is the root of so many problems we see in politics today. Gerrymandering affects not just the dysfunction we see in Washington, but also our state legislature.

North Carolina has gone through endless litigation over redistricting and we are about to embark on new maps once again. This is despite the fact that, at least in the N.C. House, we actually managed to work together to forge a consensus on our House maps last cycle. Now, Republican leaders want to start from scratch and draw up maps that are even more tilted in their favor.

This time, the process is even worse. Deep in the recently-passed budget was a provision excluding redistricting communications and drafting documents from being part of the public record. Public records laws already allow legislators a lot of discretion on what to release, but redistricting was one bright spot that allowed both the public and the courts, when necessary, to understand the deliberations behind the map-making process.

Moving forward, redistricting in North Carolina will be veiled in even more secrecy than before.

Constant redistricting is costly and confusing to voters who can hardly get used to the boundaries of their districts before they are changed again. Gerrymandered districts also lead to more dysfunction because it incentivizes people to appeal just to their base voters who show up in primaries.

When you never have a competitive opponent from across the aisle, your only concern is whether someone further on the fringe will try to unseat you. That disincentivizes collaboration and bipartisanship, something we need more than ever.

What is the solution? Clearly, this General Assembly with its current leadership does not have any interest in handing over the power to redistrict. It is too tempting to keep a grip on power. I have proposed in recent years a commonsense solution: Put the question to voters. That is why I introduced the Fair Maps Act.

The Fair Maps Act would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to approve. If approved, it would create a citizens commission to oversee the redistricting process in North Carolina and take the power away from lawmakers. It would be set up so that there are an equal number of Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters working together to draw the maps.

I truly believe that the Fair Maps Act and the independent redistricting commission it would create is the best way for us to forge a path forward in North Carolina so that we can focus on the things that matter for the people of this state. I know that voters are tired of the political games because I am too. As redistricting begins yet again this month, this time in secret, we should not forget there is a better way possible if we want it.