Attorney Notes Page 36

    Oi US. Ihprrlrrcnf of l"dq.'

CivilRights f)ivision

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tlr. Alex K. Brock
Executlve SecretarY-Dlrector
State Board of Electlone
Sulte 801 Ralelgh Bulldtng
5 tJeet Hargett Street
RaIelgh, N6rth Carollna 2750L

Dear Mr. Brock:

ThletetnreferencetoChapterll30Speclal
seaslon 1981 CH.g. 1428) provldlnB {oI the reaPPortlonment

"i-itr" 
North iarollna State Houee-of lepreE-entatlyee'

io.rr eubmlselon, pursuant to Sectlon 5 of the Vottnt
iirfit"-Act , 42--i.5:g: igZg", waB lnl.tlally recelved.on
ii;i;il";-;: iggf ,-and rae thereafter aupplemented wlEh
.aaiiional'lnioiuatton on November 21, 1981'

Ag you know, 9!-November 30, 1981, an obJectton
rras lnterpoe"a--'to"i fiOg amendment to the North Carollna
Conetltutfon "tfch provLded that no county aha]I,be-dlvlded
i; i[;-formati"tr-"f-a Senate or Representltive dlstrlct'
In obJectlng to--t[E fgOa amendment, we obaerved "that the
piot f6itior,""t"t;;i qtvldlns the 40 covered countles
ln the foruatlon of Senate ipd Hou"" dlstrlcte predlctably
i"q"ii"t;-;;;-tt"t led to the use 9f-,- large-n:l:1:TTb"t
afitifct;." Our analyela of the 1968 congtltutlonal
amendment al"o-rtor.J"'th"E the uae of euch multt-nember
dlatrlcts r,"""r""iffy eubmerges_ cognlzable mtnorlty
populatlon concentratlona tlEi-Iai[er. whlte electoiateE'tl
Thereafrer, .;-D;;;;Uer 7, 

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,-ai-ob:ectlon waa lnterpoaed

;;-;-;;;poi"a--r"Jiatrrctlng plan foT rhe stare senate.
In obJectlng to the Senate"r:.pp,filonment P1el' 'we noted
several tnetance" ,rt"r" the Stlte'e aeemlng adher.ence to
t[i-iiOa "o""iit"tl.".t piotrtbltlon agatnaE the dlvlalon
of counrlea had raeulted t; ih;-eubmeigence of-cognlzable
black communfti"a lnto large, Predomlnintly whlte, nultl-
nember dletrlcta.

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u" n"rE consldered carefully all of the lnfor:ua-

tlon eubroltted tn quPPorl oi-in" H6uee redletrlcttng
plan ae well ir-i"iolhacton-and conmejlts fron oEher

tnrereac"o p"iIt;;:- our o,.rirri-md revtew of the Houae

plan reveal, .r-aia o" tt"f"i'-and anatvsle of the

Senare r"rppofil;;ili: ttt.i-it "'tt"" 
of' large nultt-nember

dtacrlcre "rr"Iii";il-;dr"ie." 
stzeable concentratLons

of blactc popuiaiiott into a-'iJorlty tfilte electorate'
rn Gullfora cornii, for "ldiill 

-!!:--":t 
"t a co,ntv-wlde

dtatrlct "rUrllgli'"-Iigirfrtani 
conc.niratlon 6f ulact

ctcl zena ln tiltliti oi-ct"-eboro' -&d et PreaenE'

Gullford co-ri ;;;; ""t ti""-a-urict repreeentattve tn
the Houe" "r"rr'though 

black persons corpilee over one-thlrd

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iil ;. ;n il: .?:: l rl&o i". El!' d
El?Eli;Ii[oiin;i;-;;ia-u"-iri" 16- "i""t-i-"-aiaate 

or

rhetr chotce li".tE-il.i.[-cii"ir"t Houae of Repregentattvea'

In other .r"."-oi che stat"-"or"r"d r,der the votlng

titil "t"i i .ikl' "ili:,ii*li+: :1 n;ni r;:l!r : I" ri:l :
votlng etrargth a8 " 

r"",rit-oi large, nultf-meober dlstrl'cts'

Our analyete aleo ghowe that the pl'an haa 
-99her

dlluttve "rrili""." 
[i""t-vorlng erreng,th ln covered

areeE of rt 
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-iil."l -ror r"Ii-E", rt it " 
gert le, Gatea '

Ha1lfax, ttertiiiil 
-U"iti" -"na-UorLhampton coutctee area

(Dtacrlct 5)l-ttre's9:t9 PropoaeB to reduce she black
percenr,age tior i7 .Sz ."- iiiii-r"-itti" 3-member dlatrlct'
Black voters [n the ".rr."ii'r"rtr-rember 

dletrtct have

been able to "i""t-"-""oaia.i"-ft 
DLecrlct 5' Thua' the

ff ft " :i i .: i :r: ii:i.i:,x ii:-;Et qt3' i:?'3 ;: : :: i :i" 11"'n "
noeitlon of racl.al rulnorf if"" wlth re"o.EC to thelr
lffecttve uee of rhg "f""Iiilf"ii"tLtfI".- 

Beer v' Unlted

;;;;;;;-iz5-u.il i3o, 141 (1e76)'

AgwenoEedlnourDecemberT,lgElletcerconcernlng
the Senate reapporEl'onment-pf*'.w€ underacand that the

aubmergen"" oi'iinortry ,orilg. itrengch occurrlng tn that
reaDporElonmqtt plan '"y ilri'"h"'" bEen e reeult of
the. State,a adheience ro [n"-rgoa "or,"ilr,riional 

prohlbltlon
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ac.alnst dlvtdlng countles durlng redl8trlctlng' It uould
liii'ii'.;;;;il"sr"r"'B use of Etre te68 constlGuttonal
orovtelon 4 "-e-"i0"-tt 

itt Houge redletrlctlng effort
f,;;";ffiii"i-"ini"q,r"n""e t.r".--i' vtew of rheie proacrtbed
;fi";;;;-[or.""i,'I i, unable ro conclude, 88.I--ouat

Hliilift:ii*i;,lirti: t::a :!": :::,Biii::!i"!!!{".",
I H [: : il ry ;i : i " ii ; 

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;;.-t;-;;latee to the tovered count'lea' -

Of couree, I am fully aware that coutael for the
State hie inai".i"a a aesfrL to have a number of State
reDre8entatfves-r""t wlth us Go Present addlglonal
f,Iffil[.3;';i;-infornatton ",rppottrt s, !!" redtacrtctlng
plsr. AB elwals, -w9 are wltilqg to-meet wlth you or
other State "i'tt"t"ts ln an effSrt to reeolve the tsguee
;h;i- exleE qa, - r" that t"["ia,- "-'9"1t8: ::"i;!;o;#t ,.ii'I-ri-ia.y, -Jrrir.ty 22, L9.82' You can

;tif ;i;;'i"rr-;;;;tdeiatlon to- anv new lnformatton
Dresenred. H"r""iil-becauae of thL Etrae conBtralnts
H;:;";;Ii r."-il 

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-'o't be made at th le ttme '

olease [:"t"t':3"i""1l 1"3::i"fi: 8:Hi:?l0t-;]l}ii!ii''
5i;;;.;=;; ;h;-seltron 5 unrr of the vottng sectton.

S lncereLY,
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lJm. Bradford ReYtroTE
AeelBEan E AE,torneY General

Clvtl Rlghta Dlvleton