State lawmakers have voted to restore omissions in redistricting maps that left out about half a million voters.
Lawmakers voted mostly along party lines yesterday to pass bills that restored the missing census blocks. A software problem in the program used to draw the maps caused the issues. Republican representative David Lewis said debating these bills is completely unlike the heated discussions over drawing the maps earlier this year.
David Lewis: "Today is a much less dramatic moment. Today what we're here discussing, the staff calls a curative solution. I call it a computer glitch. "
Democrats argued the problem was exacerbated by too many split precincts created in the Republican-drawn maps. They contend since the Justice Department already approved the plans, the glitches render the maps unconstitutional. Two lawsuits have been filed against the redistricting maps in Wake Superior Court, saying they unfairly
group African-American voters together to dilute their electoral influence.
