Background on 5 Sit-In and Public Accommodations Cases to be Argued in Supreme Court Fall Term

    Greensboro News & Record, Sun., Sept. 25, l983 BJ

''State... nbed xsi,i gl e- m e m bi e r d i st r i cts
' ' ' ' By H-ARRY L. WAISON '' and literacy teet r€quirements designed to sembly because of the costE of getting

The viter is en associite pmfessor o1, ltriptlacks.of,tlre right to vote in North elected."
hiitoryatiNC-CnrpelAnaidisanstive Carolina. Whites were exempted by e Many factors coitribute.to the elitist
of G&reboro. chmcter of the Generd Assembly, but

r.Lil,,lr3g:llt,'Jil:,I1,1";',rgfl; ,-. The Guest Column , 1t . [",tl,gt1u?i'1fl',f.*$hti5*: i&
8tatewide.AlawsuitnowpendinginU.S.rFf8ctthatmo8t0l0urlegulatoFresemD|epi.'fi;-aCor"fi R;i"i;h fii;;""';l;i-; grandfather clause, but \tac.!r no.Jitlgt nar- each other.far more than thev resemble

..that direction. Evidence on tf,-" i"""-i""" Iicipationvirtually'ceasedaft€i1900. 
- their constituents. T'he state mnstitution

,,: ffi;il; ffi.ii,i,dilirl"iii,i -guments Iiy the te40s, ihe civil rights movement Il!I::,tfl-{t^t:ryt:I:.,11":*'.,kpresent€d last summer, closing uguments By the 1940s, the civil rights movement , requrres rnar al reglarauve qNrnss E
fiffi;i.lie'il;id:oii"riiilia "li.liiin *u'u.girri"i-irail;k ;Z;*ri;ie.inl "o.npo."d 

of one or more entire counties;

ffii";*xJ;fl i"1-" tlgsl$l4;i6i,'lryU;l:#; ;iJi,":'ri"ffitr'i:t"sH!*u''ihecresihe suit has been ties. As-black assertiveness picked up, tion0Ilegrstauvedstncts'l
rir^,,t" #^i"iii"uiilii wiriie politicians p-egal !o use'"ace a"-a I

plaintifis who allege lqmnqiSn^is;ue in North Camlina elections. As a result. mo.t of the stat€,s metroDol-
that the present lppor- Ih: ,19bu 

uemocrallc pnmary oerw€m . itan areas are covered by hrge multi-mim-
tionment plan dihites- Frank Portpr Graham and Willis Smith.is ' L"i'iii'iiriti* a"i.tiiii- Fir "iiriiiii,large concintrationS..of notorious. in- this respect. Throughout the Ci,*i;id;;;-"";em eiec nine represLntl
blaik votem in the dis- l9s0s and 1960s, it was not.uncommon-fol . ;ril;il;it;kl-;;-#;Cilii;;];;;
tricts which contain the white politicjans to charge their opponents ili;;il;'ilil;;3;G;h 

"f 
M;;i-

ciries of Charlotte, with.appealing to the black vote and,for 6;;;;;;;.'Cfi;;i crunties.
Winston-Sslem. Dur- candldates [hu8 cnargeo lo realnrm mer r: IE' ,.H Win.ton-S"lem, Durl candidifes thus..charged to reaffrrm their ., '"""."8,

; watson - f"*,1#,:,lgl;1t$ "r,ff;JTr:f#tr*:J"f*XL, 6li.r,f..c,lr""a counryis now:a partiar excep

bom. The plaintiffs claim that black voters exqmole. Dan fioo"" d"rorn6"d l.'aicn- ' uon t'o the general rule lf multi-member

inthesedistricrscannoterecta"rfrresiital ;ffi;'"p**#i.i;ilH;ii.g."ijt"h.:[ffi districts. Followiirg a 192 rulins bv the

. tive of their choice because *,d i'vrt"- or ' Nesro votel' *a 
-p"ii.r 

*ip.ra"Juiid . u'S' Justice 9epartment'Guilford county
, multlmember districts resuli; i;p;iilid ;ffd;s;;L; 

"-ri'i-i'.,iii.lii",i'tr-ir,i"ci;- 
' H Sji:'Hl**j g'^'"'lly"*lgl"Xlll:

i,u,,a'S:u.,*g$9ffi,'"f,ffii$ $il#"1,.'#j'3,,ftlpj,i,{;ffif{i1l3; nri,ffier:H"iH}dffi**rs#
,' l;"r*;\r, **i "-*"i n*r"" *"*ll,irmlf,"-,n[tl"T,'#iiJi,o{,-
",ii"uilffia"ffiT#,lli':? h1.H',.t"Jl3li: ":gl:i"ltT:^Y[f'_1::T ^.,,^ Norrh carolina'shistory of
;'::fff*':tr:l*f;::'[ilgi?,X".XlTfl 

e'H-"tlt5f]T,.1f,''3#i'H"d',"'iii officia! discriminarion is
i\6;;*-d;,tu*t"rt: ;ffi86;y I f"ff:llld ,f Jfi,.& *,y"fi$f.,iX1li[ , tong and ctear. tr inctudes aI not yet over.

to make himself kro*'n to as rnany a6 nme
times the number of people that he would
ideally represent. Members of racial or
politica.l minorities have a built-in disd-
vantage in such I contest. So do low- an,l
moderate.income white people.

Under the syatem of multi-member dis
tricts, it i8 also obvious that voters have a

dillicult time making well-inforrned eelec-
tions among a hoat of politicd competiton.
In 1980, before Guilford County was subdi
vided, voters had 20 m4jor legislatlve can
didates to choose from in the genera.
elections, while Democmt! and Republi-
cans had to Belect from 14 and l3 candi-
dates each in their respective primaries.
How many voters can honestly say thel
have carefully studied the views and quali
fications of so my dillerent arpinnts be.
fore election day?

With single-member districts, the sys.
tem would be far simpler. While the tota.
number of candidates from e county rnighl
be the same or larger, the number runninl
from any one district would almoet certain
ly be emaller. Each voter would have i;

much better opportunity to get to know th(
cendidates for his particulu district sincr
all would live nearby and all would presum
ably be leaders in the community. Eacl
candidate could also c$ncentrate on leam.
ing the needs of his district instead of rel1"-
ing on.generalitieg or media images for thr
mpalgn.

Aft,er the election was over, each votel
would know exactly which member of th,
legislature was his personal reprerenta
tive, and thus his specific person to tum t{
when help was needed from state govem
ment. All members would continue to bt
responsible for the well-being of the stat,
as a whole, just as the 35 members now rl,
who already r€pr€s€nt single-member dis
tricts. Citizens would feel much closer tr
their r€presentatives and representative'
would feel closer to particular constituents
Legislators .would be more diverse in their
backgrounds and would be better infomrerl
about local problems. The result would br
better govenment all around.

The outcome of this caae hae impoc*nt
implications for all North Carolinigm. l{
the state wins, the system of multi-nem-
ber districts will be with us for 5'ean .,
come. If the plaintiffs win, the immediatr
beneficiaries will be black voten in the sir
districts named in the suit. In addition, r
companion suit by a group of white anu
black Republicans *'ill go for*'ard, cailing
for single-member districts statewide. Ir
that eucceeds, we all uin.

*iJ;"";';"s 
rhat rouowedEmlncjna- :Xl',i:ryfl,";Uffi 

a'*ri"ts ror the -, record of disfran{hisement,
't tion, blacks were very active in North Car- ';:-';::_:..^ _-^_L!-. :- ^..^_.,L^r*r__ sooroorlinn enfl [:'i#1T,if;.Y:X":ifif':ffT"I#I:H - dli;;.e+r:t lv.-y-".ry,B*Tg' - sesresation and.

31"1,Ifi:rH,l:fly"1"# #i!,:i:fl.,flfi , :ryeillrfriliri,iffii,'#tr ii:l"f#"p,"{ ' race'baiting' rt
blacks made comm6n cause *iti-"J"riiiii- 170 memters are mostly wealthy bueiness-

" ;*$jlrf.'mn-;'.Il'xfiily#ii:'*.* [::TTi*"iffi'J:r.rfl]lT:fiHtir] fi,rj!:"iti,#%it#lfi$i:.:#*":rl'E Fusion so]e]lmen! controttt North :*:"*o":il$T*- ,..'omrino hamo , *'h;[,'ilfus ooioi]ro-Lffi"L"o 
"o,n",' carolina for a briet period u"ri$"r1ri."*" ;;#';iiffi"iitil11]*..1o;;'---'- -- whole' onlv 35 out (

q j Reactins with tury.when their economic Numbers 
", 

,;;;;. ;;,n" * **-'t,,*m 
single-member

\- KeactlnS wth ruIy-whentheE economic Numbers t€ll the storv. Of the 50 sena- i l: i,[
.Tinterests were.chsllenged, upper-cla8s tors and 120 representitives in the l9&3. - Ideally, each North (lrolina genator

whites launched an infamous'\yhite su- ii-""i*lari.*'Uir"X"naZawe""women. shodd fopresent about'lt8,000 constitu-whites launched an infamous '\f,hit€ Bu- session. l4wer€blackand24werewomen. should represent about'1tp,000 constitu-
prgrygy..qmnaign," followed b.y !,lre e9.,-ilti;'.il,;h;;,-;t;"* hwyers, 14 ;;;;d;';h-ii;rJmerrti*sl,outdrep;

: I called Wilmin6on Race Riot, an incident-in' '' ,ii.J .om"*ti-'eilcutires and five riere sent about 49,000. In t hulti-merdber
"' 

which tJle legal city government of Wil- ,f-"ni.,".'ltoii oi ihi otherg had simil8r district, eech candidate frbffice must deal
nilJgton wes gve*hlgrrT by,,l.Ili!9-T9! jobs that provided them with the.free time with many times.morc tjan this number oImrngton waE overthrowr by e white mob iobs that nrcvided them with the free time with msny times morc tjen this number of

. and some ,12 to. 16. black political leedera , iiiit- t ii'ti 'ir.o.es that er€ usual.ly necee- . constituents. 11r1s 6mnstblly incrrases
were munlered rn the 8truts. .li: sary to=seek and hold a s€at in the legisla- the cost of runnins for.omp. As a result,' The ell-white legislature that wes elegi:l)1, 1ui. Secretary Thad Eure haE said-thet. no one can ressonablyhof to be elected

,..ed in thir csmparCn passed t}le 6rtt stste- "the crowo beiow the aversge-strat3 \ne who does not hsve th moley, the leisure. .ed in thic campaicn oassed tle 6r8t ststF . 'tle ctlwd beiow the average strat3 [ne who does not hsve th mo[ey' the leisure
., wide aegr€gatibn liwi and adopted poll tax ere never c8ndidst€B to thiGeneral Aa. ' end the wide-rangingnolifcal connections

q.-r