Redistricting

Mapmakers are proposing new districts for most members of the North Carolina House, a move forced after federal judges ruled state Republicans illegally gave too much emphasis to race in the current version of legislative voting lines.

State lawmakers have approved a set of guidelines from which they will draw new political maps.

State lawmakers have started the process of implementing new political boundaries for the 2018 election, after federal judges invalidated 28 legislative districts for illegally gerrymandering black voters.

Democrats in the State Senate are pushing for what they call fair redistricting. The legislature meets this month to redraw district maps.

General Assembly members tasked with soon drawing North Carolina's legislative districts after courts found some boundaries were drawn with unlawful racial bias will hold their first meeting next week.

Lawmakers have tabled a plan at the General Assembly to redraw judicial boundaries. The policy about-face followed a day of contentious debate and halts a measure that had initially appeared fast-tracked at the legislature, possibly destined for legal challenges.

A committee in the state house will consider a bill to revamp judicial districts. Critics say the plan is aimed at giving the North Carolina judiciary a Republican bent.

The U.S. Supreme Court has told North Carolina's top court to reconsider a redistricting lawsuit filed by Democrats and allies after the nation's highest court struck down congressional districts as racial gerrymanders.

Updated 4:31 p.m., May 22, 2017

The Supreme Court struck down two congressional districts in North Carolina Monday because race played too large a role in their creation.

In the North Carolina General Assembly, the GOP retained veto-proof majorities in both chambers thanks at least in part to gerrymandered legislative districts.

State Lawmakers' 2013 finagling with the Wake County election maps made it possible for high turnover on the largely Democratic school board this election. Voters weighed in on all nine school board offices. But six out of seven running incumbents kept their seats on Tuesday. Three ran unopposed, and three others won handily against their challengers.

Roy Cooper widened his fundraising lead over Pat McCrory in the third quarter, according to campaign finance disclosures.

During the quarter, Cooper, the Democratic challenger, raised more than $9 million compared with $5.3 million raised by McCrory, the Republican incumbent governor. That widened the fundraising margin this election cycle to $21.8 million for Cooper and $13.9 million for McCrory, as of Sept. 30.

Early voter turnout data make it only harder to predict North Carolina elections for president, senate and governor.

On Thursday, a day on which early voting sites increased throughout the state, the only clear trend showed that unaffiliated voters have turned out in higher numbers than before, making a hard-to-predict election that much harder.

Incumbent Sen. Richard Burr continued to hold a fundraising lead over Deborah Ross, his Democratic challenger for the U.S. Senate.

Through the third quarter in this election cycle, Burr had total receipts of nearly $11 million, compared to $8.4 million for Ross, though her campaign has been raising money only for about one year and his has raised cash since Jan. 1, 2015.

In North Carolina, liberal groups have outspent conservatives on television, and Roy Cooper has outraised Pat McCrory, according to the most recent campaign finance reports available.

Cooper had raised 47 percent more money from 76 percent more contributions than McCrory through June 30, the most recent date for which campaign finance information is available.

Throughout the state, legislative incumbents are facing familiar challengers.

In 13 North Carolina legislative races this year, the incumbent faces the exact same challenger as two years ago. In some of these rematches, the margin of victory last election was close, and the loser will need to flip only a few hundred votes to come out on top in 2016.

State lawmakers completed a chaotic final day of the legislative session in Raleigh on Friday, giving final approval to a $22.34 billion dollar state budget before sending it on to the Governor.

A three judge panel at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down two General Assembly redistricting measures. The ruling caught lawmakers at a chaotic time, as they’re holding closed-door meetings to consider changes to House Bill 2, while trying to adjourn for the year, prior to the July 4th weekend.