Congressional Record S6497-S6561

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Olfrcc of thc Atriilonl Attomcy Gencml.

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llo thi n jt oa. D.C. 2 0 5 t0

? DEC t93t

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ATTACHI,IENT B

Mr. Alex K. Brock
Executive Secretary-Direetor
State Board of Elections
suite 80I Raleigh Building
5 West Hargett Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 276OL

Dear D!r. Broek, 
.

Ttris Ls in reference to Ctrapter 894 (s.8. No. 87,
1981) and Ctrapter 82I (s.8. No. 313, 1981), provlding
for the reapportionment of United States Congressional
districts and for the reapportionment of the North
Carolina Senate. Your submission, PurEuant to Section 5
of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973c, was initially
recelved on JuIy 16, 198I, and was supplemented with
requested additional Lnformatlon on October 6r 198I.

Under Sectlon 5, the State bears the burden of
provlng the absence of both discrimlnatory PurPose anil
Lf fect-in proposeil reiliqtrictlng p]ans. City of Rome v.
united s*-ateul 446 v.s. 156, ra3 n.re (19Eb-IT EeeiTffi,42s u.s. 130, l4o-4r (1926). rfr-Etier
ff,-sflow-Tne-Efsence of a racLally d"iscriminatory ef fectr
the State of North Carollna must demonstrate, at a minimun,
that Ltre proposed redistrr.ctlng plans wl}I not lead to
"a retrogiesllon ln the posltlon of Tlcial.minorit'ies
wiLh reslecg to thelr efiectlve exeralse of the electoral
franchisi"'Beer v' unlted states' auPra' 425 u's' at'141'
vrt,ii" if." st[Efls unEer no6ffiati6n-To maximize rnlnority
votlng etrength, the State nuEt demonstrate that the plan
"falriy refl6cts the strength of-tmlnorityl voting Power
as lt extgts." Mississippl v' unltedl statesr 490 F' suPP'
569, sei (D. D.c;-f979Ti?ftfn;Eee:-VlUniEed stalfr
s,rpia. 42i u.s; "i-rii D.11 ana-f4fl .t@ ''miEEd states , 422 U.S. 358, 362 (1975) -

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we have given careful consideratr.on to all 0f theforwarded materi"r",- is-ierr .9 n""t- r-egrsrative-rI.ppor_tionment plansr comments frqn ir,["rJ=i"a citizensr Endother Lnformation .ruiiuur" to us.--witt, regard to thesenate ptane rr. note at the outset tiilt the proposeirredistrr'cting .p1an ,.r 
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" North carolinaLegisrature f,ii"rinl-t"-i rge'e ir"i,a,i.it ro the r.Iorrhcarorina conitituli""-ir,Icu proria.""ti"t no county shalrbe divided in the r"rr"ti"n or a senate or Representativedlstrict. As you )oow, on November to; tgBt;-H;-;;rorneyGenerar interposed an objectron t"-ti"t amendment undersection s or ine v"ti"g-tier,!"--al Ji-i_ges, ez-ii.srii. rez3c,
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and House disrrict" pr.aiia:pry ,.qui;I"r rtld has led to theuse of, large multi--m.,,,b;; aisiri;i;:;- o* ;..riIr-I! the 1968amendment also showed ,,ttr"t the use of sgch murtl_rnemberdlstri cts necessariry 

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uur"-r 99" ", ;";;u!]. minori t, -popu 

ratr.onconeentrations into larqe wtrite ;i;;;;.t":.., a"",o.iingryr rr€have reviewed tt 
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""t-o'ii'to determine rvtretherthe proposed plan """ia-r5ia"t"-; ;;:'.."9ression 
r.n the posrtronof raciar min-oriti."-"rittr respect to theii-iii..tir.' 

"r"..i".of the elecrorar frincn-i".," i;;;,;";;1. 4zS-U.s. at l4tr but
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our analysls of the. senate plan-shows that in eeverarcount'es covered by trre votirg-i_rgf,iI' e..,"-"p"Iiai' provrsions,such as in Guirfori, wir"orr, Nash,- Bertie,-"ai"Ii,ii ."a Martin,.there are cognizabt. 
""i.Lntration"-.,i'mrnority persons whosepolltical stiength rs-aiiutea a3 a-resurt of the-use of mu'tr._member distrtcti fn tte-proposed r.ai"irict,ing plan. In-Guilford, for exampre, tie state tras-fropgsed ttre creation ofa three-member aisirtct-iiltt,-. rr."i ilr:rarion percentase ofonry 25 percent. yet, il:: ; ;;i;iyl-urly. systEm of sinsle_member districts in thai-"r".r oD€ ei:ch -ai"tii.i-iti"ry wouldbe majority b-r1clc ."or-tr,"rerore, -;;i; 

berter recognr.ze thepotentlar of bracks to 
".i."t r"p.u=.r,t.tror. of ttreii chor.ce.

Likewrse' r'n wilson, Nash, Edgecombr- Martr.n.and severalof the eounries. in pr;;;;;a iiiJiliH'i-*ich are coveredJurisdlctlonsr the 3t"["-proposes to ereate multl._memberdlstrrcts tn wtrlch braci'ioters Beem to h".r. ,ro op.Dorturityto elect candidates of ttreir-crr"i;;.' 'il.r" agaln,-i"irrv_dravm elngle-member dtstricts would rikely_result in senatediatrlcts' that would not, as- the pt"po"ud. senate plan doesr
[|Xl[|::..n. vorins p"t""ti"r "r ii.Ii-vorere rr, [r,o"" coveredl_

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Und3lstandablyr these effects r

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of sLzeable. Uraci,eJi,iunftfes into rfreeuir"= i- Irbmergingrn view or trre conl;;;;' ar".,""";-J:;::-fi.i1[l:t"*iii:.r.to conclude, ?s f must-unaer ttre-VJiing- Righrs_ait, thar the
proposed senare r"ai"irigtilg -pi"i-ir^ 

i::i,Ii-"Ti.i arlyil!:il*i:$*"*::f;ri' "rieil;" ilco_rainerv, on beharr or
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_ t{ith respect to .}:. !:rg:":=ro::}_::districtins, we
have arso comptlt"J ilri.w of ir,"t-"-iiri""i_on. ouiing trre
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tr,''"r r JJi t i; ns th a tDi s tr ict No : z rr aa 

- tr,;-";;; ;r..;;"#;iTtilr"ff 3::i;;Tlr"" ".srrength'and in "aait'i"i'Ts motivatt o" raciar coi#; ;" t:: :; =ii: 
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i *_"i5t lU Til;ff ; :",ii,!:: X;;;:-:5- tr'" i#;;"iion-tr,ItT_u.s 
!.een .;;.,avairabreto draw ,r;i3iii ff:o;.rto conclude tt,"t tr,. stJil,i

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in the distrlct t" Seli frrcent. rui" reductlon rn ;l.diliationff:'ii :*H:i:ti;;:1, fi;*ti. #=*+ ir "ii: ;r ii,l I "ri 

a se, nbecause I't occur"- t!'tt," J"ly ai"tiili"yrrgie-ur".x'il."rs 
courdhave the potentiir-I"i"}I"iinj-"-"""jri"re 

of tr,"tr-choice.

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," ,::?g.i"? that the. State tnay want to reslpndfurther to the-claims trrai-a. iJ.iJri, discri*initolzpurpose and effect were'r.n-r,o1";;-i;-ihe Legrslature,e. decision to circumveni-purtar. --nor"J"r, 
because of thetime constraints- im!o="I o' trre aitoii"y General bysesrLon 5, anit the ir""""*"r*: q;;ai;;" stlrl remaining,r cannot concrude trrai itre uur6en-iin;"ed on-th."'it.t. uysectto_n 5 has .been 

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r iJ"I_inrerposean obJecrion also to the con9r"""i;;;i redistricting insofaras tt iffects the .o""i"a .or"ntil"-1..-iorr.r.r, should theetate desire to present io_us informalion reiating_to theconfisuration of-pistiici 2 which r"ria 
"a;;;::^.';e arlesa_tlons mentionea aUovel -wi 

stand ,."av-to reconsider thisdeterrnination as provided i;-;;"'EIx{i"" 5 guiderines.
of course-, as provided-by section 5 0f the votingRighrs Acr, you have ih; rijr,t-io-IJ.t^ a deciai"t"rv judg_

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:: ?:t."f'ff.45, :-i:1".by the Attorney Generar rs to make tt,.-e_ongr.""ion"i redis_trLcting plan iegarri-ru,Jnror"""ui" -ii tt. eovered counties.
If vou h:r:^"1{. questions concerning .this matter,please feei free to eirr cart tr. ciu"i-t zoz/zz+tqgil ,Director of the_se"tio"-S unrt "r-tt,I votlng section. Asil-,?#; H;Hliriffi:iliri*i:I'ri,'=ri anv h'av po""iur.-

Wry. Bradford nlnofa!
Asal.stant Attorney GeneralClvll Rlghrs of"i"i""---

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Sincerely,

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