Statement from Bo Hess on North Carolina’s Redistricting Process
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2021
Today, I am making sure the commission commits to drawing equitable districts for competitive, fair, and free elections.
My friends, please make no mistake: our freedoms and our American democracy are under attack. The assaults on our freedoms and our democracy are coming from within our borders, within our statehouses, from people who claim they want less government
intervention but only impose more and more government control.
Let’s all pause and ask ourselves a question: Are we indeed a representative democracy if one party can essentially never be voted out of power, or, put another way, if one party can write jurisdictions to their advantage to stay in power? If politicians choose their voters instead of the voters choosing their elected representatives, then our system of government is no longer serving the needs of the people.
In our representative democracy, the voters are supposed to select the representatives we send to be our voice, not for partisan politicians to draw their districts in a way that takes away the ability for voters to make a competitive choice.
To be clear, fair redistricting is not and should not be a Democratic or Republican issue; instead, this is an issue of preserving our democracy and making sure that each person matters and each vote counts.
Fair districts make sure the will of the people is enacted and will ensure that all voters and citizens have fair and equal representation.
We have too many vital issues in which we need practical input and collaboration. We need to be bringing people into the process of civic engagement instead of working to disenfranchise voters.
Voters should choose their representatives; politicians should not be choosing their voters. A bipartisan compromise must implement a transparent, multi-party commission overseen by a citizen advisory group and a panel of judges.
Full Statement Download:
Redistricting_Statement_9-21-21
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