Thread by @lekhashupeck

Here at Mitchell Community College in Statesville for the redistricting public hearing! Things should get started in just a few minutes. #ncpol

The hearing is starting.

John Lengle of Davidson asks for a more transparent and inclusive. More public hearings and a virtual participation option are needed. Front line workers can't participate at the current times. Comments without maps signal a secretive process.

Jo Kloniger thanks the committee members who are wearing masks. Has lived in the Davidson area for many years. Asks for a transparent process, hearings after draft maps, hearings in evening after working hours, virtual option for participation, 4 minute time limit for comments.

Asks for 50 hearings across the state. No gerrymandering.

Patricia Dumser steps to the mic but it seems to be broken. We're waiting for a replacement.

Patricia is from Davidson and Cornelius. She is concerned about access and transparency with the hearings. Her grandchildren need to see that voting is fair and districts aren't gerrymandered.

She wants NC to be admired by the nation not tied up in court cases because of lack of transparency. Draft maps are needed for hearings.

Diane Hanby says she would like to have seen maps before the hearings. Asks committee not to split precincts, municipalities, or counties. Poll workers here in Iredell have 34 different ballots to handle - it's confusing.

Politicians must stop picking their voters - people are tired and want fair elections.

Todd Scott, president of Statesville NAACP - we need hearings after proposed maps and adequate time to evaluate the maps and prepare for hearings. No partisan data. Don't split counties. Keep neighborhoods together. They share issues, like food deserts.

Lisa Moser says on the way over she heard people saying how beautiful the campus is, but there was a time when it would have been illegal for her mother to attend the school.

Less than a mile from downtown is her childhood neighborhood which is neglected without public services - that's what happens when people don't have fair representation.

Deborah McGivern president of LWV in Catawba County. She wants all votes to be equal, a transparent process, with public input both before and after maps. Not enough hearings - need virtual hearings and hearings after maps, one meeting in Raleigh isn't enough.

Comments submitted online should be made public. Partisan data or knowledge should not be used.

Brian Duncan, ED of iCare says gerrymandering creates results where a party that wins less than half of the votes can hold the majority of the seats. Bc gerrymandering issues that matter to NCians are not prioritized. Legislators shouldn't be able to pick their voters

Wants to remind the committee that they are bound to adhere to the VRA

Scott Huffman is a candidate for NC-13. Brings up the infamous 10-3 David Lewis quote. Voters should choose their candidates. Packing Black voters hurts everyone. Says Republicans have already drawn maps behind closed doors - hearings are just for show.

Wear a mask and get vaccinated!

Tom of Davidson ran a B&B until retiring last year. Emphasizes ties to Cornelius, Huntersville and Charlotte. Asks to keep the Davidson area with Cornelius, Huntersville and the rest of Mecklenburg instead of another county.

Beth Kendall of Davidson gives example of two people in the same ward and precinct but different state House districts. This makes it difficult for them to advocate for the issues they share. Communities should be kept whole.

NC is a 50/50 state - one party shouldn't have 8 of 13 Representatives.

Elaine Hewitt of Rowan County asks the committee not to split precincts or counties where possible. Says that litigation caused a special election that confused voters. Says that the Democrat party says voter ID suppresses votes but has no evidence.

Jeffrey Hoye of the Rowan Democratic Party. Wants all districts to have enough diversity to create competitive races. Don't split precincts. Asks that map drawing be observable by all. Propose maps with enough time for public comment.

Rosetta McDonald, VP of Caldwell NAACP. Says NCGA must comply with VRA. Cites history of racial gerrymandering. Opposes the prohibition on use of racial data - this keeps the history of discrimination from being considered.

Lisa Jewel chair of Democratic precinct 137 in Davidson. Talks about the unique community in Davidson - people there consider themselves part of the North Charlotte along with Davidson, Huntersville, and Cornelius.

David Parker thanks Republicans for being so transparent about their intention to protect incumbents - however that's not what people want. Concealing maps prevents people from commenting effectively.

They are open that they want to make it harder for the poor to vote and easier for the wealthy to cheat.

Next speaker felt compelled to come speak and remind the committee that NC imhas become an example of what not to do - ground zero for gerrymandering, voter restrictions, access to the polls.

Asks committee to consider combining her district with the districts people actually commute to. Her community outside of Davidson doesn't share the needs of counties like Surry that it's currently paired with.

James Mallory is chair of Iredell board of commissioners. Split precincts presents difficulties to administering elections for the county board. Says 2019 court case laid out markers - act so that we can avoid litigation. Voters distrust the process.

You can't take politics out of redistricting, but you know gerrymandering when you see it.

Doris Allison is councilwoman for Statesville ward 3. Largest and most diverse ward. The area is a food desert with only dollar stores and no sidewalks. Her community cannot afford to be divided - their needs won't be met. Remember ward 3, because we will remember you.

Keaton Brower is working for candidate Scott Huffman. Passion is getting young people to vote. Disheartening when young people say they feel their vote doesn’t matter. Today he sees the NCGA doing the same things that did IN 2011.

Helen Chestnut, retired state employee, from Alexander County. Very active in her community. Alexander County only had 36,000 people, no hospital, only one high school. A small community like this needs to work together.

Current districts do not allow minorities to be elected. Asks for fair districts.

Karen Parker says she's here to promote a constitutional amendment to implement a citizens redistricting commission. In NC it takes 3 votes to elect a Democrat for every one to elect a Republican.

One group of voters has more representation than others and this nullifies the will of the people.

Fred Foster council person in Statesville. Asks for more transparency. Constituents weren't able to be here because hearing was inaccessible to them.

Skip McCall, NAACP and Vietnam vet. Defines gerrymandering. In 2011 Republicans took gerrymandering to a new level. If we talk about transparency and fairness, the first thing we must do is eliminate gerrymandering. We cannot have fair elections until that happens

Mr. Allen, farmer of Iredell County. Says Eric Holder sues until he gets his way this creates discontinuity. Says Republicans didn't complain when Democrats gerrymandered.

Kay Richie, chair of Democratic Party in Stokes. Way to stop lawsuits is to draw fair districts. Stokes has been moved between districts many times to advantage Republicans. If we have fair maps from the beginning we don't have to go through litigation.

Don't protect incumbents.

Alejandro Garcia from Alamance County, wants to highlight the need for fairness and transparency - ask the community how to draw maps. Draw maps so people in his community can have representatives that look like them. Asks for hearings after proposed maps.

That's the end of the speakers list. Chair plugs the committee page. Meeting is adjourned.