Join us for discussion on this important topic. This is a Zoom event and Registration is required. Please let us know by December 11th at 5:00 pm if you can attend this event, and we will send you a link to the Zoom meeting.

All states that successfully reformed redistricting in the current cycle did it through citizen initiative and referendum (CIR). This mechanism enables reformers to collect signatures to put a proposed reform (a law or constitutional amendment) on the ballot without going through the legislature. It is currently not an option in North Carolina,...but we hope to change that!  To be clear, that will require amending the NC Constitution.

The next step is for the League itself to adopt a CIR policy. The state board has just authorized ODC to lead a statewide study on this topic in preparation for putting a new position on CIR before state League members at the 2025 convention. If approved, CIR would be added to our statewide action program. Jennifer Bremer and Ellen Reckhow will lead this effort, reporting to NC board member Sandra Mowell. The study will examine League positions in other states with the aim of identifying position(s) that we can adopt by concurrence, enabling us to add CIR to our statewide program at next year's convention (see the forthcoming newsletter for more details on study planning;  note:  study team members wanted!).

If you'd like to get up to speed on this issue, please take a look at our previous presentation, "Do We Need the Power of Citizens' Initiatives," with guest speaker Dr. Asher Hildebrand, Associate Professor of the Practice at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy. Or take a look at a special report, Investigating Citizen Initiative Process for North Carolina Voters, prepared for ODC by a team of Sanford graduate students. You can find them both on our Learning Center webpage.