Correspondence from Bradford Reynolds to Brock

    O,' US. Dcprrtrrcnl of Juillc( ';

CivilRights Division

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l{r. AIex K. Brock
Executlve SecretarY-Dlrector
State Board of E1ectlons
Sulte 801 Ralelgh Butldlng
5 lJeat Hargett Street
Ralelgh, North Carollna 2760L

Dear Mr. Brock:

Thte ts tn reference to chapter 1130 Speclal
seselon 1981 (H.8. L428' provldlnB {oI the reePPortl'onoent

"i-itr" 
north iarollna State Houae-of RepreE-enta.tlyee'

io,rt submlgalon, pursuant to Sectlon 5 of the votl'ng
Rlshts Acr. 42 t.5.C. 1973c, wag 1nLtlally recelved.on
ii;i;il";-6: iggi,-and wae thereafter- aupplemented wlth

"aaftlonal'lnforuatlon 
on November 2L, 1981'

As you know, 9!-November 30, 198I, -9n obJectlon
19a8 lnterp6eea- to"i fgOg amendment to the North Carollna
Constitutfon wtri"t-ptorlded that no county ahall.be dtvlded
fn itre formatio"-"f'" Senate or Repreeentatlve dletrlct.
i; ;bj""ttrrg to--rfrE fgOg aurendment, we obaerved "that the
piohf6frfon-atalnet dlvldlng the 40 covered countleo
i;1h;'ioir"tro" of Senate End Houee diatrlcts predlctably
i"q"Ii.";-;;d-t""-ied to the uee ofr large.T:1:1:1:Tb"t
dletrlcti." Our analyela of the 1968 conotltutfonal
amendment afeo-8h;;;e'trthat, the uee of auch multt-nember
distrtcte n"""rearlly aubmerges_ cognlzable mtnorlty
oooulatlon concentratlona i;;;-Iai[er whlte electorates'rr
fiI;;;;;;;,-;;-o""lru"t ,, -itbr, qf, obJectlon wae lnterPoaed
;;-;-;;;poi"a ,"distrtctrng plan foT rhe state senare.
In obJecttng to the Senate"rL"pf"tttonment PIqP, te noted
geveril fnaEancee where the Stitete aeemlng adher-ence to
the 1968 "o""tit"ti"".i 

prohtbitlon agatneE the dlvtalon

"i-"o""ir". h;;-;;;;ii"a' rn itre aubmeigence of cognlzable
black copmuntiies lnto large, predontnintly whlte, nultl-
nenber dletrlcts.

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W" t,"r3 conotdered careful-ly aff of the lnforua-
tlon eubultted tn a_upport ot-it" H6uae redlsCrtcttng
plan ae weII ir-i"foliatton-and comn.''ta fron other
lnrereer"o p"i[t;;:--our 8l.,.il"r"--a revtew of the House

p18n reveal, ""-aia 
our revl&-"t'a ar'tlysle of the

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ii ;=* il ::ii: :ri i : i iffi 
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i: :}i*,n':'Elgl;: l3i'"i*!;i;.-te-u:e-or a corntv-wtde

li :ii x i" il'ln} :i :;: i'[i : x ffi i.!l'.r!' : ! : i!! :?i :l ] 
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Gullford corrii ;;;; ""r t l""-a-urict repreientattve tn
the Hous" ".r"rr'though 

black persont corpilae over one-thlrd

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;or,"l :,illli:; !i: ; 
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3ll3li;3i3oii*;i;-;;;ia-u"-i6i" ci'- "-i""t-;-;alaate 
or

rhetr chotce li'lt !"ilii.fi-citirr"t ttot,gt of Representatlvee'

In other .r".i-oi the srar"-.or"r"d under the votlng

litil "t"i i.i kl 
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"ili:,i P ::l+: :' ryil;' i3l 3r : ;" :i:1 :

votlng strentth aB a r."rit-oi 1arge, nulti-oeober dlttrlcts'

Our analyets aleo ehowe that the plan ttl:^"-!h"t
dllutrve effi:;;";; [i.}-vorlng etrens,tir ln covered

areas of tt"-iil.Il -ror r"it"nE", rt, Eh" B"rtle, Gatee'

Hallfax, tt..riiiil-U"rtfn 
-"na lfortharpton courtlee area

(Dtscrlct 5l; the-State Propoaea to reduce the black
percenraBe tio.--5Z.SZ ."' iiSi-i"-ittii 3-member dlatrlct'
Black ,ot"r"-ln the ",r.r"ii'i"rtr-rember 

dtetrtct have

been abre ro ii."t-.-".r,aia.i.-rn DLecrlct 5. Thue, the

ff ft # i .: ih: ii:i.i:,x ii:{B' q'i' l:?'ffi : : :: i :i"'1"'o "
[ni:ilt"; [::':i; i.l xili;;1,:!::. x u::' E:;1 i 1 "u"' " o

;;;;;;;-ozi-u.sl i3o, 141 (1e75)'

AgwenotedlnourDecemberT,lgslletterconcerntng
the Senate reaPPorEt'onment-p1an'.w€ tndlrstand that the

submergen"" oi'irnorrtv "*i{;r:::;** :':::[itt.l". ::::. -
:i:'S::l:?:'f;f;"3:fl"'ll iil"-rbos'o""'it[";i;;i piohlbrtlon

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ap.alnst dtvtdlng countt'ea durlng r"9l:trtctlng' It uould

#;ii;-.;;; ;;;-si.t",a uee ;i Et. 1q68 conEriEurtonal
Drovl3ton a8 i-giia"-ft i-at Ho,r"" redl'strtctlng effort
f,;;";i;ii"i-"ilE!qr"r""s t.r;.--it vlew of theie proacrlbed
;f f";;;;-to""""i,'i-i, unable ro conclude, 88 I x0u8t

I:fi i. iu"Hxt;,tirti: t:I :?": :::':iii::!i "iiiii "."",
EH [: :t : 

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;;.'1;-;;1"t"t to the tovered countlee' -

Ofcouree,Ianfullyawarethatcornaelforthe
srate hae rnaicaiea a aestiL io t "r" a number of stace
;;;;;";iattr!"-r""t wtth ue to Present addlclonal
argumenta and infornaclon iipg"ttl"g-!!" redtstrlctlng
plsr. As albray-a, -w9 are wlfiiqs to ueeE wtth you or
orher State ,iit"f"tg ln an efflrs to reaolve the teguee

that exler "r,al-i. 
that r.l.ia,..a-neetlne ls echeduled

for Frtday, iH;Iy"iV: i;6r. -You can bE aasured thac we

iiir- ;i;;' iurr 
' ;;; rdeiar lon ro_ any new tnfornat lon

Dreserted. However, becauae of tha ttPe conaEratnts
i6der Sectlon-;;';-i"i"iriirti""-r"rc be made at thle tLme'

o ,eae e l:.t"Ii:"i"'ll rt"8:: 

""fi: 
-8:B:i:? llE :;llldli t :''

ili;;;.;=;; ;;;-secrron 5 unrc of rhe votlng seccLon.

g tncereIY,

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IJn. Brad6-rd ReYtrotf
AaelsEanE AEtorney Generar

Ctvll R1ghce Dlvlslon