Both McGrady and Reives emphasized that putting legislators in control of their own destiny by giving them total control over redistricting erodes the public’s confidence in government.

Of course, legislators have always had such absolute power. But the process has come under closer public scrutiny with the advent of increasingly powerful computers that give legislators greater precision in creating districts that slant toward the party in power.

Hardister and his co-sponsors said their proposal probably will be the first of several redistricting bills filed this session. They are committed to making the redistricting process less partisan but are not wedded to the format outlined in their bill, they said.

In fact, Hardister said later that he might introduce another version of Wednesday’s bill where the major difference would be adding the independent commission to the North Carolina Constitution as a required part of the redistricting process.

“If it’s in the constitution, it would be harder to change,” he said.

Hardister said that while it’s important to make redistricting less partisan, legislators should retain the final say in approving new election maps each cycle.