Mansfield: Partisan maps segregate communities, makes NC less inclusive (audio)

Many of North Carolina’s incumbent Democrats remain hopeful that the federal courts will overturn the redistricting plans approved by the Republican-controlled legislature last month.

State Senator Eric Mansfield tells N.C. Policy Watch while he actually stands to benefit from the “stacking and packing” in his district, the partisan lines will take North Carolina back to a segment in our history “no one wants to go back to.”

The Cumberland County lawmaker explains how in an effort to redraw District 21 with an African-American majority, Republicans added parts of Hoke County (some 20 miles away) but cut out his neighbor across the street:

“My biggest problem is that we’re now beginning to segregate a community which has done exceptionally well to vote for people they believe in, not based on their race.”

To hear a portion of Sen. Mansfield’s radio interview that aired over the weekend, click below. To hear the rest of News & Views with Chris Fitzsimon, visit the Radio Interview section of the N.C. Policy Watch website. There you can listen to the entire show online or subscribe to our podcast feed on iTunes!: