https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/north-carolina-gerrymandering-kate-barr-state-senate
Kate Barr, who is running for state senate in North Carolina’s 37th District, says she was “gerrymandered out of a chance.”
So she’s running her campaign on the promise that she won’t win.
North Carolina is indeed one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Gerrymandering, defined by Merriam-Webster, is the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, gerrymandering has been used to undermine democracy for centuries. That said, in recent years, the Republican Party has been known for its redistricting tactics, and in 2022, North Carolina’s State Supreme Court even ruled that the state constitution allows partisan gerrymandering.
Barr said she knew she would lose from the day she filed to run. Photo courtesy of Kate Barr
In 2022, the state had “fair maps,” and sent seven Democrats and seven Republicans to Congress, Barr wrote in a column. This year, with redistricted lines, she said, the state is projected to send three Democrats and 11 Republicans.
While Barr is a staunch Democrat, and gerrymandering itself is inherently partisan, her campaign isn’t intended to sway people any one way, but rather to shed a light on the democratic process and the need to protect free and fair elections.
Barr makes a point to show that North Carolina is not the only gerrymandered state in the nation, with at least 16 states scoring with a grade of “C” or lower on Princeton’s nonpartisan redistricting report card.
But North Carolina does get a failing grade; what Barr calls “a devastating distinction.”
I was struck at the commitment and dedication of this group of people who are fighting a battle they won’t win in their lifetime in their attempts to clean up a mess they didn’t create.