North Carolina 2017-2018 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 735 — Redistricting by Computer.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2017-2018 Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

160 added · 159 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the updated version of House Bill 735, a requirement has been added to ensure that each representative district must consist of contiguous territory. This means that the areas that make up each district must be physically connected to each other, which can help create a more cohesive representation for the communities involved. This change matters because it aims to prevent gerrymandering, where districts are drawn in irregular shapes to favor one political party over another, ensuring fairer elections and better representation for voters.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2017 H 1 HOUSE BILL 735 Short Title:
735 Apr 11, 2017 SESSION 2017 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH40421-ST-43 (03/23) Short Title:
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION TO REDISTRICT VIA COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAMS UTILIZING POLITICALLY NEUTRAL CRITERIA TO DISTRICT.
Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House April 13, 2017 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION TO REDISTRICT VIA COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAMS UTILIZING POLITICALLY NEUTRAL CRITERIA TO DISTRICT.
When established, the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population taken by order of Congress." *DRH40421-ST-43* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 SECTION 2.
*H735-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 When established, the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population taken by order of Congress." SECTION 2.
Subsequent to the initial appointments, the appointing officers shall make their appointments, other than vacancy appointments, no earlier than February 1 of the year prior to the year in which the appointed members are to take office under subsection (2) of this Section and no later than June 1 of the Page 2 DRH40421-ST-43 [v.4] (03/17) General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 year in which the members are to take office under subsection (2) of this Section.
Subsequent to the Page 2 House Bill 735-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 initial appointments, the appointing officers shall make their appointments, other than vacancy appointments, no earlier than February 1 of the year prior to the year in which the appointed members are to take office under subsection (2) of this Section and no later than June 1 of the year in which the members are to take office under subsection (2) of this Section.
(9) Local redistricting.
House Bill 735-First Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 (9) Local redistricting.
– The General Assembly may by law assign to the Independent Redistricting Commission the duty to adopt districting and redistricting plans for any county, DRH40421-ST-43 [v.4] (03/17) Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 city, town, special district, and other governmental subdivision if the governing board of the unit or a court of competent jurisdiction so requests." SECTION 4.
– The General Assembly may by law assign to the Independent Redistricting Commission the duty to adopt districting and redistricting plans for any county, city, town, special district, and other governmental subdivision if the governing board of the unit or a court of competent jurisdiction so requests." SECTION 4.
Page 4 DRH40421-ST-43 [v.4] (03/17)
Page 4 House Bill 735-First Edition
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How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission to handle redistricting in North Carolina, changing the process by which legislative districts are drawn.

  • Section 3 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution

    the apportionment of Senators among those districts, subject to the following requirements:so that, to the extent possible, those districts meet the following goals: → the apportionment of Senators among those districts, subject to the following requirements: so that, to the extent possible, those districts meet the following goals: (1) Each Senator shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Senator represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the District that he represents by the number of Senators apportioned to that district; (2) Each senate district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; (3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a senate district; (1) The goal of politically neutral district plans to the extent possible. (2) The goal of compactness, to avoid elongated and irregularly shaped districts. (3) The goal of one person, one vote to ensure each voter's vote. (4) The goal of minimizing the number of split counties, municipalities, and other communities of interest.

    This change incorporates specific goals for redistricting to ensure fairness and neutrality.

  • Section 5 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution

    the apportionment of Representatives among those districts, subject to the following requirements:so that, to the extent possible, those districts meet the following goals: → the apportionment of Representatives among those districts, subject to the following requirements: so that, to the extent possible, those districts meet the following goals: (1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of Representatives apportioned to that district; (2) Each representative district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; (3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a representative district; (1) The goal of politically neutral district plans, to the extent possible. (2) The goal of compactness, to avoid elongated and irregularly shaped districts. (3) The goal of one person, one vote to ensure each voter's vote. (4) The goal of minimizing the number of split counties, municipalities, and other communities of interest.

    This change sets standards for the apportionment of representatives to promote fairness.

  • Article II of the North Carolina Constitution

    Sec. 25. Independent Redistricting Commission. (1) Establishment and membership. – There is established the Independent Redistricting Commission to consist of nine persons appointed as follows: (a) Three by the Governor, with no more than two affiliated with the same political party; (b) Two by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one by the leader in the House of Representatives of the political party with the next highest or equal number of members of the House of Representatives as the party of the Speaker; and (c) Two by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one by the leader in the Senate of the political party in the Senate with the next highest or equal number of Senators as the party of the President Pro Tempore.

    This addition establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission to manage districting independently of the General Assembly.

  • Article II of the North Carolina Constitution

    The Independent Redistricting Commission shall adopt, in accordance with Sections 3 and 5 of this Article, computer programs to generate plans for revising the Senate districts and House of Representatives districts, which shall have the force and effect of acts of the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall not adopt any legislative district plan.

    This provision gives the Independent Redistricting Commission authority to generate redistricting plans using computer programs, restricting the General Assembly from involvement.

  • Article II of the North Carolina Constitution

    The General Assembly may by law assign to the Independent Redistricting Commission the duty to adopt districting and redistricting plans for any county, city, town, special district, and other governmental subdivision if the governing board of the unit or a court of competent jurisdiction so requests.

    This allows for broader application of the Independent Redistricting Commission's duties at local levels.

Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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0 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 177 not signed on

Sponsors (0)

None.

Co-sponsors (2)

Not signed on (177)

177 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections technology
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 735?
HB 735 is sponsored by Pricey Harrison (Democratic) and John M. Blust (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 735?
This bill died with 2017-2018 Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 735?
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