Aside from the usual accusations of gerrymandering from the party not currently in control, you may not have heard much about what the recently-completed redistricting exercise means to you.
U.S. House of Representatives
The 2020 census showed that North Carolina should have one more seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In response, the N.C. legislature has redrawn the U.S. Congressional Map for N.C. to spread voters across 14 districts. Buncombe County is now a part of the newly-created U.S. Congressional District 14. The other District 14 counties are Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey and parts of Watauga.
Buncombe County residents will vote in 2022 for a candidate who seeks to represent our new district. As of November 24, candidates for this seat include the following:
- Republicans: Rodney Honeycutt, Wendy Nevarez, Bruce OConnell, Michele Woodhouse
- Democrats: Jay Carey, Katie Dean, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Eric Gash, Bo Hess, Brooker Smith
North Carolina expects to hold its primary elections On March 8, 2022 to narrow the field of candidates for the November general election ballot. This primary election will be our first opportunity to vote as a member of the new district. The Buncombe County Board of Elections will review and likely approve an early voting plan for March at its next meeting – this week on December 1.
Cawthorn has decided that he will run for Congressional District 13 in 2022. Until the January 2023 swearing-in ceremony for our new representative, though, Cawthorn is still our Congressman.
N.C. House of Representatives
Buncombe County residents fall into one of three N.C. House Districts.
District 114 currently covers the northwestern and north-central portions of the county and is ruled by Susan Fischer. The western portion of that district now falls into District 116, as does the extreme north-central portion. The remaining piece is now part of District 115. While Fischer has chosen not to pursue another term, this district may be just too blue for us even to consider making a run at it.
District 115 currently spans the entire eastern boundary of the county and is represented by John Ager. The northernmost section of the old District 115 has become a part of the redrawn 114th District, which still includes the center-most portion of the county. This district could possibly be turned!
We need to send a thank-you note to Raleigh for the redrawn map of District 116! It has shed its northeastern tip in central Buncombe County and has welcomed a large chunk of the old District 114. While Brian Turner has done his best to keep this district on the road to Socialism, his recent decision to not pursue another term is an open door for Republicans.
Take a look at how the voters in the old Statehouse Districts voted in the 2020 Presidential elections compared to how the redrawn districts voted:
| Current District | Percentage Trump Voters | Percentage Trump Voters | Redrawn District | |
| 114 | 40.6% | 27.5% | 114 | |
| 115 | 38.1% | 38.6% | 115 | |
| 116 | 39.2% | 51.1% | 116 |
Could Republicans claim 116? It seems to us that we very possibly could pull that off! But not if we can’t find a candidate. Take a look at the redistricting map for N.C. House.
N.C. Senate
Democrat Julie Mayfield controls N.C. Senate District 49. The redistricting process has shrunk the size of this district by freeing N.W. Buncombe County and adding it to Senate District 46. While this resulted in a greater density of registered democrats, the district was already a liberal fortress. So, the overall impact on District 49 was relatively small.
The remaining population of Buncombe County becomes a part of NC 46 under the redistricting plan. While the redrawn map diluted the Republican voice in NC46, it only brought the number of Trump voters in the district down to 65% (from 73%). So, Warren Daniel should not have much trouble hanging on to that seat.
Buncombe County Voter Services plans to mail out new voter registration cards in January. However, you can look at your voter registration information online to confirm where you fall under the redrawn maps.
