North Carolina
The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated people where they are confined not where they are from. Using these counts to draw state and local legislative districts enhances the weight of a vote cast by people who live near prisons at the expense of everyone else in the state, county, or municipality.
Report
- Federal Census policy harms North Carolina's democracy — but state lawmakers can fix it: North Carolina's redistricting data once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030
Organizations in North Carolina
It's impossible for us to include everyone who is working toward fair districting in North Carolina, but if you are looking to get involved, these are some of the people and organizations you might want to contact first:
More information
- Legislation: including model legislation, current bills, and archive of past legislative efforts
- Pathfinder: a guide to resources on prison gerrymandering
- Incarceration data: comprehensive data, research, and visualizations about mass incarceration in the state
- Fixing prison-based gerrymandering after the 2010 Census: North Carolina - background information on prison-based gerrymandering in North Carolina.
Press Coverage
- Advocates push to end 'prison gerrymandering' By Reuben Jones, Spectrum News 1, February 8, 2022
- NC prison population skews representation in drawing voter maps By Lisa Worf, WFAE, October 12, 2021
Recommended Reading:
About the Prison Policy Initiative
Learn more about the organization behind the Prison Gerrymandering Project.
The Racial Geography of Mass Incarceration
The transfer of Black and Latino incarcerated people to communities very different than their own is a nationwide problem.
Are legislative maps hurting prison reforms?
Pam Adams explains how in her downstate Illinois column.
Do prisons draw in Census money for their host communities? No.
We explain that prison gerrymandering is bad for democracy but federal & state aid are not impacted.