Joel Burgess

jburgess@citizen-times.com

ASHEVILLE -- An effort to fundamentally change how the state draws political lines has created unusual allies.

Asheville liberals and local Republican legislators have joined to promote an anti-gerrymandering law. Opponents include the Buncombe County GOP and the General Assembly's highest ranking Republicans.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer stumped Thursday at Pack Square Park for House Bill 200 proposed by state representatives including Republicans Chuck McGrady of Hendersonville and Cody Henson of Brevard.

The event, also attended by Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, was part of a statewide push by North Carolina Common Cause, a nonprofit advocacy group backing the bill.

Manheimer said Asheville was particularly hurt by partisan line-drawing after the GOP-controlled legislature in 2011 split the city between the 10th and 11th congressional districts. That diluted the city's Democratic-leaning votes and led to the election of two Republicans.

"By splitting Asheville into two ruby-red congressional districts the city's electorate has been neutralized," Manheimer said to the small gathering at the park.

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The mayor said before the split the entire city was part of a "cohesive" 11th District that included all of Western North Carolina.

"Instead of what we have now — two districts running from Asheville to the suburbs of Charlotte and Asheville to Murphy."

Under current laws, state legislators draw new districts for themselves and members of congress after every 10-year census.

Critics say that process has led to abuses by whichever party was in power. Recent technological advances mean map drawers can use voter demographic data to to slice and dice with exacting precision, gaining even more partisan advantage.

The bill would put map drawing in the hands of nonpartisan General Assembly research staff who would sequester themselves from the legislature. The lines would be drawn with an eye toward keeping counties whole and districts compact.

The committee would not be allowed to consider the addresses of incumbents or challengers. They would also not be able to use voter party registration. The legislature would vote the map up or down. If it failed, the committee would return with a second map. If that failed, a third map would be presented that could be amended by lawmakers.

In this legislative session the bill and its companion in the Senate were stalled after being sent to each body's rules committee. The effort will die there unless House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger want it to get a hearing, said Brent Laurenz, Common Cause outreach director. That is the reason for the statewide push, Laurenz said.

The bill is largely a Democratic effort, but also has drawn support from by some high-ranking Republicans, including the House's second-highest ranking member Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Sarah Stevens of Mt. Airy.

Moore and Berger actually backed a similar reform effort before Republicans took over in 2010, Laurenz said.

"The people in power supported this when they were in the minority party," the Common Cause outreach director said.

An email and call to Moore's office seeking comment got no response. A spokeswoman for Berger said the president pro tem was presiding over a budget debate and wouldn't be able to comment.

Not all local Republicans are behind the effort. Buncombe party chairman Carl Mumpower said Common Cause asked him three times to join the effort.

"My question is always the same: 'Where were you guys during the decades of district gerrymandering abuses by the Democratic Party?'" Mumpower said. "Now that the Republicans are in charge, it's suddenly an urgent issue."

Laurenz said Common Cause began redistricting reform efforts in 2005 when Democrats were still in power.

Two local residents who are registered Democrats said the way lines are drawn now makes people not want to vote.

"It basically takes the power of the vote away from citizens," said Jim Millikan, a retired political science professor from Candler. "It ensures that there are guaranteed winners and guaranteed losers."

Tom Colson, a 25-year member of Common Cause said he advocated for redistricting reform when Democrats ran the General Assembly and is still doing it now.

Colson noted recent comments by GOP Rep. Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County who in a fight to restore a state gay marriage ban said Abraham Lincoln was a worse dictator than Adolf Hitler. Colson said legislators such as Pittman are products of heavily partisan line-drawing.

"I'm telling you he is a harbinger of the kind of legislature we will have in the future as long as hyper-efficient gerrymandering continues."