Correspondence from Bradford Reynolds to Brock

    U.S. Drprrtnrnl of JuClcc

CivilRights Division EXITIBIT O

Oltlr of thc Aalrt.at Atloncy Gcacnl l+bthtqroa, D.C. 20tJ0

2o lRru ,982

Hr. Alex K. Brock
Executlve SecreEary-Dlrector
Scaue Board of Elecclons
Sulte 801 Ralelgh Bulldtng
5 Weet HargeCt Screet
RaIelgh, Norch CaroIlna 2760L

Dear Flr. Brock:

Thte ls ln reference to Chapter 1130 - Speclal
Sesslon 1981 (H.B. L428) providlng for Ehe reapporclonment
of Ehe Norch Carollna Scare House of RepreBenEaElves.
Your eubmtselon, pursuant co Secclon 5 of che Votlng
Rlghcs Acc, 42 U.S.C. 1973c, was tnttlally recetved on
Novenber 6, 1981, and waa thereafter supplernenced wtch
addtLlonal lnformatlon on November 21, 1981.

As you know, oD November 30, I98I, 3D objecElon
waa lnEerpoeed Eo a 1.968 amendment to Ehe North Carollna
Constltutlon whlch provided that no county ahaII be dlvlded
ln the formacton of a Senace or Repreaentaclve dletrlct.
In obJectlng to the f968 amendmenE, we obeerved "thac che
prohlbttlon agalnaE dlvldlng the 40 covered counclea
tn the formatlon of SenaEe and Houae dlstrlcte predtccably
requlrea, and has led to the uae of, Iarge mulrl-uember
dlaErlcEB. rr Our analyale of the 1968 constltutlonal
amendrnenc aleo ahowed "thaE the uae of euch multl-member
dlatrtcts necesaarlly submerges cog,ntzable mlnorlty
populaEton concentratlons lnuo Iarger whtte electoraEes."
Thereafcer, oD December 7, I981, an obJecElon waa lnterpoeed
to a proposed redlsurlctlng plan for the Stace SenaEe.
In obJecttng co the Senate reapportlonmenE p1an, w€ noced
Beveral lnaEanceB where the StaEets seemtng adherence Eo
the 1968 constltuttonal prohlbltlon agalneE the dlvtslon
of counEtes had reaulEed tn Ehe eubmeigence of cognlzable
black communtctea lnEo Iarge, pr€domlnantly whtte, multl-
member dtatrlcta.

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We have conotdered carefully aII of the lnforma-
Eton BubnLrCed'ln EupporL of che Houee redlsCrlcttnS,
otrn as well ag lnformaClon and comments from ocher
inCereeCed parttes. Our analyale -and revleb, of Che House
p1", reveal; as dtd our revleri, and analysts of che

Senate reapporElonmenE, ChaE Che uBe of large multl-member
dl.arrlcfe L'ffecEively submergea atzeable concenEratlons
of black populatlon info a majorlty w[1ce elecCorate.
in Gutlfoid County, for exrrple, che uee of a colnEy-wide
JisrrtcC aubmergee'a slgntf lcanE concenEr.rclon of black
clttzens [n Ehe ctty of Greenaboro, and at PresenE,
Gullford Coun t,y doe-s noE have a black repregen EaEtve tn
ihe House even though black Persona comprlee over one-Chlrd
of Greengboro'a popilatlon. -On the other hand, under a

a tngle-member dibtrlct eIecE-f 9n syBcem, black vo EerB ln
Ci.EnrUoto ltkely would be able c6 elecc a candldate of
rhetr chotce to ihe Norrh Caroltna Houae of RepreeentaEtve8.
In other areas of Ehe SCaEe covered under Che Votlng
ntgnCe AcC, euch a8 tn Cumberland Cor.urty, concen traElons
of-black ciClzens llkewlse auffer a aubmergence of Chetr
voElng BCrmgEh aB a resulC of large, mulCl-member dteCrlcEs '

Our analyals aleo 8how8 EhsE the plan has oEher
dllur-lve effecti on black voElnS EErenBch ln covered
areaB of the StaCe. For [neEan-e, ln Che Bertle, GaCea,
Hallfax, Hertford, IlarCln and NorChampton countles area
(ptarrfcc 5), che Scate ProPoses Eo. reduce che black
p;;;;i"i"- fio, 57.52 co' 5L'.72 1n th(e 3-member dLBgrlct.
illact voEers ln Ehe currenC mulrl-member dletrtcc have
besr able Eo elecE a candtdaEe [n Dlstrlct 5. Thua, the
propoEed reductlon ln black populat ion percen ta8,e ln
EhaE dlatrlct would appear C; be a reErogresalon tn the
po"irlon of raclal notir6rltles wlCh respecc [o chetr
Lffectlve uae of t,he electoral franchtbe. Dsgr v'Urltred
l11gsg, 425 U.S. I30, I4I (1976).

As we noted ln our Decernber 7, I98I letcer concerntng
the Senate ruippo.ElonmenE plan, w€ understand that the
aubmergence of'lnlnortty voC'lng. 8treng,Ch occurrlnB tn Chat
i""ppoiiton*"r,E plan mly well-have bEen a resulE of
;ti;'34;;;i; ;[";"n"" t6 Ehe I968 consElEutlonal prohLblclon



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eqatnsc dtvldtng counEtes durlng redietrl'cEln8. Ic would

"ir"rr 
ChaC Ehe SEaEe'e use of Che 1968 consctCuttonal

il[rfrion as €. guide ln t.ct House redtgcrtcr.lng efforc
f,;; rlmllar coneequences here. In vlew of chese Proacrtbed'effeccs, howev'er, I 8m unable to conclude, as I musc

unrder Ehe Vof.tng Rights AcE, thaE the prqpos.ed House

i."ppotEtonment plan ts free of a raclally_discrlmlnatory
nurDos€ and effecC. AccordlngIy, on behalf of fhe AfCorney
6enLral, I mugE lnEerpoee an objectton Eo che Houee plan
aB 1c reLacee Eo the coveretl cou)Etes.

Of course, I am fully aware Ehat counsel for che
SEaEe has lndlcaCed a destre Eo have a number of SCat,e
representatlves meec wtch u8 co preEenc addtttonal
arguments and lnformaClon suPI)orEtnB rhe redleCrtcttng
plan. Aa alwaya, we are willtng Eo meeE wlch you or
oEher SCate offtclals ln an eff<lrC Eo resolve rhe tssues
tnat exleE and, ln Ehat reg,ard, a meeEI'ng te scheduled
for Frtday, January 22, 1982. You can be assured that ure

wtll glve f uII cong lderac ton ro any net, lnformat lon
presented. Horrrever, becaua e of Ehe clme conBtratnca
inder Sectlon 5, a determlnaClon l1ugC, be made aC thle ctme.

If you have any quesEions concernlng !I1"^TlI:er,
please ieei free Eo clfi Carl W. Gabel (202-724-8388),
bir"cEor of che Sectlon 5 Untc of che Vorlng SecElon.

S incerely ) _-

[l \L,=r!*I
r.;. ts.rf-rad R;ffit"

AeetBEan E AcEorneY General
CtvtL Rlghca Dlvlslon

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