Wake County likely will gain two seats in the N.C. House of Representatives and a Senate seat after the next census in 2010, according to an analysis by UNC's Program on Public Life, with some help by bill drafting director Gerry Cohen.
Mecklenburg County is the other big winner, adding at least one and, possibly, two new House seats, according to the data. The counties surrounding the two largest urban centers also are poised to pick up at least a portion of a seat and wield more influence in the legislature.
After the census, the legislature redraws its districts. Those districts all must have roughly the same number of residents, so growing urban centers, with their dense population, require more legislative seats to keep the districts equally sized.
Its the metropolitanization of North Carolina.
North Carolina's population is expected to hit 9.6 million in the 2010 census, a 19 percent increase from a decade ago. Wake County, however, is on track to show 50 percent growth. Mecklenburg is expected to show 31 percent.
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