CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte City Council will vote Monday evening on a proposed redistricting plan.
The plan, which was finalized late after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 census data, is intended to evenly distribute voters among the city's seven districts. Opponents to the plan argue the proposed solution moves voters around for political gains based on racial demographics.
Safeguard Atone Validate Educate (SAVE) is asking people from the Hidden Valley neighborhood to rally in the council chambers on Monday evening.
Hidden Valley, which is located between Sugar Creek Road and Interstate 85 just south of Ikea, is currently in District 4, which includes portions of northwest Charlotte including the university area. The proposed plan moves Hidden Valley to District 1, which includes portions of Uptown Charlotte.
A lawsuit was filed in response to the proposed redistricting
City Councilman Malcolm Graham, who chairs the Redistricting Ad Hock Committee, said the plan is to get 125,000 voters per district.
"We have to move 30,000 voters out of [districts] 2, 3, and 4 into 1, 5, and 6," he said about the districts.
During the Charlotte City Council meeting Monday evening, the city council will vote on whether to approve Plan B1. This map was one of the final four maps reviewed and decided upon by the committee on Oct. 20.
"All the maps, except Map A, moves Hidden Valley out of District 4 into District 1," Cedric Dean, a member with SAVE, said.
SAVE members said they're concerned about moving the Hidden Valley neighborhood from a predominantly Black district to a predominately white district.
"Hidden Valley is the most powerful precinct in District 4," Dean said. "So you're going to move the most powerful precinct into a district where their voting strength is going to be diluted."
Graham has previously said he doesn't believe moving Hidden Valley to District 1 would hinder votes.
"It also makes District 1 more competitive for an African American to win," he said. "It's not really gerrymandering."
If approved by council Monday, the filed lawsuit asked the U.S. District Court to order an injunction against relocating Hidden Valley.
"The purpose of the lawsuit is to say: whatever the city puts a period on, we can come behind it with a question mark from the judge," Dean said.
SAVE is asking thousands of residents in Hidden Valley to rally in the chambers ahead of the City Council meeting. The topic of redistricting will be brought up during the regular business meeting portion around 6:30 p.m. The meeting can be watched on The GOV Channel, the City's Facebook page or the City's YouTube page
"We’re demanding that they take a delay on this thing and really look at it for what it is," SAVE Vice President Charlene Henderson said.
Map B1 also contains the following list of other changes outside Hidden Valley:
Precincts Currently in District 1:
Precincts 1, 8, 18, and 35 would move to District 6.
Precincts 5 and 45 would move to District 5.
Precincts Currently in District 2:
Precinct 54 would move into District 1.
Precinct 211 would move to District 4.
Precincts Currently in Districts 3:
Precincts 23, 24, and 81 would move to District 2.
Precincts Currently in District 4:
Precincts 26, 42, and 82 would move to District 1.
Precinct 205 would move to District 5.
Precincts Currently in District 5:
No precincts would move out of District 5. Precincts 5, 45, and 205 would be added to District 5.
Precincts Currently in District 6:
Precinct 37 would move to District 1.
Timeline of next steps:
The Charlotte City Council's timeline to complete the redistricting process:
Nov. 8: The City Council will vote to adopt a district map based on 2020 census data.
Nov. 12: The city will notify the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections if a final, revised map will be available by Nov. 17, in accordance with law.
Nov. 17: The city's deadline to provide a revised, adopted, district map to the local board of elections, in accordance with law.
If the city does not provide a revised district map to the local board of elections by Nov. 17, the new deadline for the City Council to adopt and submit revised districts is Dec. 17. The period for candidates to file for the 2022 election then moves from Dec. 6-17, 2021, to Jan. 3-7, 2022.
Charlotte's municipal primary election will be held on March 8, 2022, and the municipal general election will be on April 26, 2022.
Elections, including elections for Charlotte mayor and Charlotte City Council, were postponed from 2021 because of the belated census data. They will be held in 2022.
Contact Lana Harris at lharris@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
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