MAPPING AMERICA
One community at a time.
Organized by All On The Line North Carolina
in NC
AOTL NC's Community Mapping Project was designed to train and empower ordinary North Carolinians to map their home communities and to use those maps to advocate for fair and equitable representation during the redistricting process.
This organization has partnered with Representable to allow people to draw communities of interest and share information about the interests and needs in those communities.
Making this information available encourages mapmakers to take these communities into account during redistricting, in order to avoid gerrymandering and the “packing and cracking” of marginalized groups.
In North Carolina, maps are drawn by the state Legislature by ordinary statute. Unlike most states, the resulting plans are not subject to the Governor's veto.
In addition to the federal requirements of one person, one vote and the Voting Rights Act, North Carolina’s state constitution requires that state legislative and congressional districts:
In 2011, the redistricting committees adopted additional criteria requiring that state legislative and congressional districts:
The state Supreme Court has also held that state legislative districts should:
In the redistricting process, the North Carolina Supreme Court requires the consideration of communities of interest (COIs). While not constitutionally defined, NC citizens can still present their own COIs to the redistricting commissions to advocate for fair representation. A community of interest is a population that shares cultural, historical, demographic, or economic interests. Communities of interest do not necessarily share the same political viewpoints or support for certain candidates or political parties.