newsobserver.com projects - redistricting - Comments

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

alaskan1 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:05:43 -0400

Impeach everyone in office!

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

jesmyopinion — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:35:24 -0400

I bet a 2 year old can draw better lines than what we have now... And we would not have to pay them as much!

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

henrye — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:30:34 -0400

Politics will never let this happen unfortunatly. Redistricting should be done by Citzens who do not vote. It sounds absurd, But since we have so many who do not vote, It would be a fair way to do it. With no lobbying
allowed by anyone Since a lot of voting is done by racial lines, This would make the districts more evenly balanced

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

AmericanNationalist — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:28:31 -0400

Both parties should want districting to be fair. If this passes David Price and Brad Miller can kiss their offices good bye.

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

CitizenOpinionated — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:10:35 -0400

JNorris - part of the problem is the fact that Democrats have held a stranglehold on the NC General Assembly for years. I.E. Look at Brad Millers' district.

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

jnorris — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:55:00 -0400

The problem with these proposals is their source. The party out of power always wants to make redistricting fair. The party in power always wants to cement its grip.

If Brunstetter thought his bill had a chance, he wouldn't have named the redistricting commission for a Republican stalwart. That alone makes it clear his proposal isn't serious.

The legislature isn't going to make districting fair. North Carolina courts aren't going to force fair districting. Until or unless voters of all political stripes join forces to demand a rational districting system, we'll remain at the mercy of whichever partisan hacks currently hold sway.

Re: Bills would make redistricting blind

jesmyopinion — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:14:31 -0400

Gee - the legislators are so smart - I guess there is hope for them yet. How did they figure out the citizens of NC do not want to have the races determined even before the citizens get to vote? Who would have thunk the districts should be divided up into a fair proportion and not some crazy gerrymandering district as they are now set up??? They are so smart!!!

Re: Quick Hits

tangoz — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:43:56 -0400

State House 33 is a unfairly gerry-mandered district that guarrantees the election of Dan Blue as long as he runs. The latest Supreme court decision will bear further weigth against the General Assembly.

Re: State bills that poll well

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:16:28 -0500

Fair enough. I've posted a follow-up to address this question.

— RTB

Re: State bills that poll well

MKleinschmidt — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:01:29 -0500

I think I understand how you got that number. You used general support for the death penalty (58%) to claim support for a bill that would re-authorize executions. Wouldn't a better use of the Elon polling data have been to report that in fact MORE people (46.6) actually SUPPORT the current moratorium than DON'T (44.7), or at the very least to have reported that opinion is split down the middle (since the margin of error is 3.6 pts).

The story of the Elon poll is that while most North Carolinians support the death penalty in theory (58%), less than half actually name it as the most appropriate punishment for first-degree murder (47.8). The question about the moratorium is important because it suggests that there are strong concerns in the minds of about half our citizens that if we're going to have a death penalty, it needs some work.

You may disagree with what I believe the numbers suggest when looked at together, but one thing the moratorium question certainly does reveal is that S.B. 161: Execution/Physician Assistance Authorized IS NOT a bill that belongs on a list of bills over which there is "broad agreement." Even adding the margin of error (44.7 + 3.6 = 48.3), less than half of North Carolinians disagree with the moratorium.

Re: State bills that poll well

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:24:23 -0500

Not a direct question. You're right that support is mixed, but the point is that there is a moratorium on the death penalty right now which the bill would overturn. This question shows support for the death penalty generally.

— RTB

Re: State bills that poll well

MKleinschmidt — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:59:59 -0500

After reading this, I went to the Elon poll site and reviewed the questions related to the death penalty. To my surprise less than half of respondents (47.8) believe the death penalty is the most appropriate punishment for first-degree murder and only 58% support the death penalty generally -- a number that has been decreasing slowly but steadily for a decade now.

Also, a plurality -- 46.6 support the halt on executions that has been in place in recent years.

I didn't see a question about support for S.B. 161

Re: A hint on redistricting suit?

lefaim — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:15:55 -0400

Democrats also have over 65 sheriffs and control of 2/3 of County Commissions. The last time I checked county borders dont get changed every 10 years.

Re: A hint on redistricting suit?

jjsmith2 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:31:20 -0400

What does that have to do with anything? Districts are based on census data, not voter turn out. If I win by 5 in my area and you win in your area by 10 we both still win. You may have won by more, but I still have a seat.

Re: A hint on redistricting suit?

tangoz — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:23:37 -0400

The disturbed person above does not realize that Republicans received more total votes for the state house races than democrats. So why do democrats hold large edges in the seats? Because democrats subverted the will of the people, just like communistic and dictatorship countries do.