The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is in the final stages of drawing up and approving a new map for commissioners’ districts.
The board has set a public hearing on the matter for Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room in the Old Guilford County Court House at 301 W. Market St. in Greensboro.
The stated purpose of the hearing is “to solicit public comments on the proposed Guilford County redistricting maps.”
The board has been discussing the matter on its own for about two months, and recently those talks have begun to get a little combative. The nine-member board is made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans.
The county must submit its proposal for eight new population-balanced voting districts for the coming decade late in November. State legislators then may or may not find the commissioners’ recommendation acceptable.
On Thursday, Oct. 21, the board held a work session and a regular meeting at which the coming redistricting was discussed. On Nov. 4, the commissioners will hear from the public in an official setting for the first time. In the last several weeks, the commissioners have been getting a good deal of input on proposed new maps via emails and phone calls.
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said he’s not sure at this point if the commissioners’ districts will be identical to the Board of Education’s districts after the coming redistricting process. He said obviously that would have a benefit of offering some simplicity. However, he added, there are other considerations and the school board may or may not want to mirror the county when it comes to the new districts.
A copy of the maps currently under consideration by the Board of Commissioners can be viewed by visiting the county’s redistricting website at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/board-of-commissioners/board-of-commissioners-redistricting.
The proposed maps can also be examined in person at the Guilford County Clerk to the Board’s Office on the second floor of the Old Court House. You can review the documents anytime from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
No they don’t. They will do as they please. You don’t have to like it.
Funny one, Skip. Your proposed map gives Democrats the majority percentage in EVERY DISTRICT. Love that fairness.
I prefer Proposal A as it disrupts as few people as possible. The others move quite a few people into other districts and in some cases many people into other districts it seems with the intention to provide a particular party the advantage in future elections for the next ten years.
Given the last few elections, I already feel as if my vote means nothing, and if my district is moved in this proposal I figure I’ll just stop voting in any election. I don’t see the point when the percentages are over 10%+ in favor of the other party (and that’s without help from voting machines).
Right!