Redistricting rundown: How new maps and gerrymandering will affect Asheville, Buncombe

Redrawing of political lines is supposed to happen once a decade after the census in order to make sure districts remain balanced by population. But in North Carolina where the issue has been fought for years in court, it seems like an annual affair.

This year, a newly elected Republican majority on the N.C. Supreme Court flipped a prior court's ruling and allowed partisan redistricting, often called gerrymandering. On Oct. 25, the GOP-controlled General Assembly passed new district maps for Congress and themselves, ignoring Democrats' protests and acknowledging they sought to make gains for their party. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper can't use his veto stamp on the redistricting legislation, but litigation challenging those maps is likely ahead.

Here's what the new districts mean for Buncombe County and other parts of Western North Carolina:

Congress

U.S. House seats in N.C. are currently split 7-7 between the parties. But the new lines are drawn to give Republicans at least an 10-4 advantage after 2024 at the expense of first- and second-term incumbent Democrats. Such changes could expand Republicans' precarious 221-212 U.S. House majority.

The 11th District, which covers most of WNC and is currently held by Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of Henderson County, will become slightly redder, taking in more areas that supported Donald Trump in 2020. The district will grow from 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 counties, losing Rutherford and half of Polk, while gaining Mitchell and Avery counties. One proposed change that will not happen: Black Mountain will not be shifted to a different district as shown on an alternative map.

N.C. Senate

In the state Senate, Buncombe has two districts, the 49th in the west of the county held by Democrat Julie Mayfield, and the 46th in the east by Republican Warren Daniels. The newly drawn districts likely won't change that, since District 49 remains Democratic-leaning and District 46, which includes McDowell and Burke counties, keeps its GOP advantage. But the shapes will shift enough — with the 49th to occupy the center of Buncombe and the 46th the west, north and east — that some voters will find themselves in different districts.

The N.C. Senate now has 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. Paired with the N.C. House, the GOP has a veto-proof majority that is expected to hold and even grow with the new maps. Republicans have used that supermajority for priorities such as an expanded public voucher system for private schools, a 12-week abortion ban and the classification of nuclear power as "clean energy."

N.C. House

The three state House districts in Buncombe have been won by Democrats since 2014. But new lines may change that, tilting one district, the 115th, to Republicans. While all districts now share parts of Asheville, the new maps remove most of the liberal-leaning city from 115th (briefly renamed the 116th during the redistricting process.) Despite the gerrymandering, first-year Rep. Lindsey Prather of Candler said she will seek reelection to the new 115th that will cover the west and north of the county. The other two districts will still favor Democrats, with Eric Ager representing the 114th and Caleb Rudow the 116th, which will comprise most of Asheville. Republicans now have a 72-48 advantage in the N.C. House, and that is expected to hold or grow.

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners

A 2011 GOP-imposed law unique to Buncombe couples the three county commissioner districts to the three N.C. House districts. That means the all-Democrat seven-member Board of Commissioners could see a Republican join the board in 2024, and possibly another in 2026. Commissioner Terri Wells of Sandi Mush lives in the district that will shift Republican and said despite that, she plans next year to run for reelection. Democratic commissioners have pushed programs providing housing for the homeless, preservation of open space and teacher raises — though less than called for by local educators. The board voted in June to raise the property tax rate by 1 cent to 49.8 cents per $100 of assessed value. That means annual county taxes on a $350,000 home rose from $1,708 to $1,743.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Redistricting rundown: How new maps, gerrymandering affect Asheville