Nonpartisan redistricting gets another push

Although four Republicans are the primary sponsors, the bill has bipartisan support, and it comes after a 2016 federal court ruling that lawmakers unconstitutionally relied too much on race when they drew 28 state Senate and House districts six years ago.

As control of the General Assembly has changed between the two parties over the years, the minority party often proposed bills similar to House Bill 200, with the majority party often dissenting.

Sponsor Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, said now that Republicans are in power, they see the nonpartisan redistricting issue differently than they did before.

"When we were in the minority, this was a bill that Republicans generally rallied around," McGrady said. "If it was the right thing then, it is still the right thing now."

Still, not all Republicans agree.

Sen. Jeff Tarte, R-Mecklenburg, said he doesn’t know if the bill will get taken up because he hasn’t heard any discussion about it previously. He said he would like to see a simulation run to test the ability to create truly nonpartisan voting district lines.

"There are still vested interests," Tarte said. "You're taking appointed people, selecting them. There's always going to be that inherent bias."