Final public hearings on maps today

Lawmakers will meet around the state this afternoon for the third and final round of public comments on new proposed voting districts for legislative and congressional seats. 

Today's Joint Redistricting Committee meeting will be a little different from the last two videoconferences. This time, instead of being networked statewide, the meetings will be broken out into three regions: East, including Raleigh, Fayetteville and Wilmington; West, including Charlotte and the Triad, and Buncombe County, which gets its own meeting due to major proposed changes in its maps. 

Members of the public who want to speak at the meetings can sign up at any of the sites - the sign-up lists open at 2pm.  Speakers are limited to five minutes each.  The meeting is scheduled to run from 3pm until 9pm.

Legislators are scheduled to debate the maps in committee starting Thursday. They're set to vote on the maps next week.