GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 20
Short Title: Fair Maps Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Harrison, Morey, Hawkins, and Prather (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
January 30, 2025
*H20-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA CONST ITUTION TO PROVIDE FOR AN 2
INDEPENDENT REDISTRI CTING PROCESS, TO ES TABLISH THE NORTH 3
CAROLINA CITIZENS RE DISTRICTING COMMISSI ON, AND TO MAKE 4
CONFORMING CHANGES T O THE GENERAL STATUTES. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCES S 8
SECTION 1.(a) Section 3 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution reads as 9
rewritten: 10
"Sec. 3. Senate districts; apportionment of Senators. 11
The Senators shall be elected from districts. The General Assembly, at the first regular session 12
convening after the return of every decennial census of population taken by order of Congress, 13
shall revise the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators among those districts, subject 14
to the following requirements:Assembly shall establish an independent process to revise the 15
senate districts and the apportionment of Senators among those districts pursuant to Section 25 16
of this Article. 17
(1) Each Senator shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the 18
number of inhabitants that each Senator represents being determined for this purpose by dividing 19
the population of the district that he represents by the number of Senators apportioned to that 20
district; 21
(2) Each senate district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; 22
(3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a senate district; 23
(4) When established, the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators shall remain 24
unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population taken by order of Congress." 25
SECTION 1.(b) Section 5 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution reads as 26
rewritten: 27
"Sec. 5. Representative districts; apportionment of Representatives. 28
The Representatives shall be elected from districts. The General Assembly, at the first regular 29
session convening after the return of every decennial census of population taken by order of 30
Congress, shall revise the representative districts and the apportionment of Representatives 31
among those districts, subject to the following requirements:Assembly shall establish an 32
independent process to revise the representative districts and the apportionment of 33
Representatives among those districts pursuant to Section 25 of this Article. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 20-First Edition
(1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of 1
inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for 2
this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of 3
Representatives apportioned to that district; 4
(2) Each representative district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; 5
(3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a representative district; 6
(4) When established, the representative districts and the apportionment of 7
Representatives shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population 8
taken by order of Congress." 9
SECTION 1.(c) Article II of the North Carolina Constitution is amended by adding 10
a new section to read: 11
"Sec. 25. Redistricting. 12
The General Assembly shall establish by law an independent process to revise electoral 13
districts for Congress and the General Assembly after the return of every decennial census of 14
population taken by order of Congress. The process shall meet at least all of the following 15
requirements: 16
(1) Neither the General Assembly nor the Governor shall have any role in revising 17
electoral districts for the General Assembly or the House of Representatives of the United States 18
Congress. 19
(2) Each member of the Senate and House of Representatives of the General Assembly 20
and the House of Representatives of the United States Congress shall represent, as nearly as may 21
be, an equal number of inhabitants. 22
(3) Each electoral district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory. 23
(4) When established, the electoral districts for the Senate and House of Representatives 24
of the General Assembly shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of 25
population taken by order of Congress. 26
(5) Electoral districts adopted pursuant to the process shall have the force and effect of 27
acts of the General Assembly." 28
SECTION 1.(d) Subsection (5) of Section 22 of Article II of the North Carolina 29
Constitution reads as rewritten: 30
"(5) Other exceptions. Appointments to office. Every bill: 31
(a) In bill in which the General Assembly makes an appointment or appointments 32
to public office and which contains no other matter; 33
(b) Revising the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators among those 34
districts and containing no other matter; 35
(c) Revising the representative districts and the apportionment of Representatives 36
among those districts and containing no other matter; or 37
(d) Revising the districts for the election of members of the House of 38
Representatives of the Congress of the United States and the apportionment 39
of Representatives among those districts and containing no other matter, 40
matter shall be read three times in each house before it becomes law and shall 41
be signed by the presiding officers of both houses." 42
SECTION 1.(e) The amendments set out in subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this 43
section shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the State at the general election in November 44
2026, which election shall be conducted under the laws then governing elections in the State. 45
Ballots, voting systems, or both may be used in accordance with Chapter 163 of the General 46
Statutes. The question to be used in the voting systems and ballots shall be: 47
"[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST 48
A constitutional amendment providing for an independent redistricting process for 49
electoral districts for Congress and the General Assembly. The General Assembly would 50
establish the process but have no role in the revising of districts." 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 20-First Edition Page 3
SECTION 1.(f) If a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor of the 1
amendments set out in subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the State Board of Elections 2
shall certify the amendments to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall enroll the 3
amendments so certified among the permanent records of that office. The amendments set out in 4
subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this section are effective upon certification. 5
SECTION 1.(g) Chapter 120 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 6
Article to read: 7
"Article 1B. 8
"Redistricting. 9
"§ 120-4.50. Definitions. 10
As used in this Article, unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions shall 11
apply: 12
(1) Census Bureau. – The United States Bureau of the Census. 13
(2) Commission. – The North Carolina Citizens Redistricting Commission 14
established pursuant to G.S. 120-4.55. 15
(3) Communities of interest. – Contiguous and cohesive populations of persons 16
that share common social, economic, or policy interests. Communities of 17
interest shall not include common relationships with political parties or 18
political candidates. Communities of interest include, but are not limited to, 19
populations that share any of the following characteristics: 20
a. A racial, cultural, geographic, or ethnic identity. 21
b. A common history of marginalization or discrimination. 22
c. Natural resources. 23
d. Excessive damage from past or present natural disasters or pollution. 24
e. An organized decision-making body. 25
(4) Congressional districts or plans. – Districts or plans for the House of 26
Representatives of the United States Congress. 27
(5) Federal census. – The decennial census required by federal law to be 28
conducted by the Census Bureau in every year ending in zero. 29
(6) Final plan. – A plan adopted by the Commission to be used for the purpose of 30
nominating and electing identified representatives. In accordance with Section 31
25 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution, final plans shall have the 32
force and effect of acts of the General Assembly. 33
(7) Ideal population. – The number determined by dividing the number of 34
members in a plan into the population of the State as reported in the federal 35
census. 36
(8) Identified representative. – A member of the Senate or House of 37
Representatives of the General Assembly or a member of the House of 38
Representatives of the United States Congress. 39
(9) Legislative districts or plans. – Districts or plans for the Senate and House of 40
Representatives of the General Assembly. 41
(10) Metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas. – Areas of the State defined as 42
metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas by the Office of Management 43
and Budget of the United States. 44
(11) Plan. – A plan for legislative or congressional reapportionment drawn in 45
accordance with Section 25 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution 46
and this Article. 47
(12) Preliminary plan. – An initial plan released by the Commission for public 48
input at the beginning of the redistricting cycle. 49
(13) Proposed and alternative plans. – Plans released by the Commission following 50
public input. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 House Bill 20-First Edition
(14) Public office. – Elective State, local, or federal office. 1
(15) Relative. – An individual who is related to the person in question as father, 2
mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, 3
husband, wife, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, 4
son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, 5
stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or 6
half-sister. 7
"§ 120-4.55. North Carolina Citizens Redistricting Commission. 8
(a) Establishment. – There is established the North Carolina Citizens Redistricting 9
Commission in accordance with Section 25 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution to 10
prepare preliminary, proposed, and alternative plans and to adopt final plans for the purpose of 11
nominating and electing members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the General 12
Assembly and the House of Representatives of the United States Congress. 13
(b) Eligibility. – A resident of North Carolina is eligible to apply for membership on the 14
Commission if that person meets all of the following requirements: 15
(1) Has been a registered voter in North Carolina with the same party affiliation, 16
or lack thereof, for at least four years prior to commencement of service on 17
the Commission. This requirement does not apply to persons under the age of 18
25. 19
(2) Has not contributed during one election cycle cumulatively more than two 20
thousand dollars ($2,000) to any candidate for public office. 21
(3) Does not hold public office. 22
(4) Is not any of the following: 23
a. A relative of (i) a current member of the General Assembly, (ii) a 24
current member of the North Carolina Council of State, or (iii) a 25
covered person, as defined in G.S. 138A-3(21). 26
b. A political appointee of the General Assembly. 27
c. A staff member or legal counsel to the General Assembly. 28
d. An official of a political party or a consultant or legal counsel to a 29
political party in the United States. 30
e. A candidate for public office. 31
(5) Has never done any of the following: 32
a. Been elected to serve in any of the following: 33
1. The General Assembly or Congress at the time of or for any 34
period of time during the eight years preceding the date of his 35
or her application. 36
2. Any other public office at the time of or for any period of time 37
during the four years preceding the date of his or her 38
application. 39
b. Held a political appointment. 40
c. Served as an elected or appointed officer of a political party, body, or 41
committee at any level of government in the United States. 42
d. Served as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a political party 43
or body or of the campaign or campaign committee of a candidate for 44
public office in the United States. 45
e. Been convicted of any of the following crimes against a governmental 46
body of the United States or a crime with a direct connection to the 47
crimes: 48
1. Espionage. 49
2. Terrorism. 50
3. Treason. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 20-First Edition Page 5
4. Sabotage. 1
5. Sedition. 2
6. Insurrection. 3
(6) Is not a legislative staffer, lobbyist, or legislative liaison. 4
(7) Has not been employed by Congress within 10 years of applying for 5
membership on the Commission. 6
(c) Membership Application; Evaluations. – Any citizen of North Carolina may apply to 7
the State Auditor to be a member of the Commission, according to the following process: 8
(1) The State Auditor shall ensure that applications are available for at least six 9
months beginning in each year ending in nine. The State Auditor shall work 10
with the State Ethics Commission to publicize the application process, 11
including advertising the application period, commission qualifications, and 12
selection process in at least the following ways: 13
a. In the following: 14
1. For at least one month, the 10 media outlets in the State with 15
the highest circulation. 16
2. The main website for all State agencies. 17
3. Appropriate local news broadcasts. 18
4. Media outlets that serve minority communities. 19
b. By distributing paper applications to at least the following: 20
1. At least one percent (1%) of all registered voters in North 21
Carolina. Recipients of paper applications shall be selected 22
randomly but in no event shall more than thirty-three percent 23
(33%) of the recipients be affiliated or not affiliated with a 24
particular party. 25
2. Any registered voter in North Carolina who submits a request 26
for an application. 27
c. To tribal nations located in North Carolina. The State Auditor shall 28
encourage indigenous persons to apply to be a member of the 29
Commission and may coordinate for that purpose with the Division of 30
Indian Affairs of the North Carolina Department of Administration, 31
the North Carolina State Commission of Indian Affairs, and any 32
State-recognized Indian tribe. 33
(2) As part of a person's application, that person shall (i) disclose all relevant 34
relationships and positions and (ii) submit to the State Auditor an attestation 35
that the person is eligible to serve as a member of the Commission pursuant 36
to subsection (b) of this section. 37
(3) The State Auditor shall evaluate applications to ensure they meet the 38
requirements of this section and any other requirements of State law. The State 39
Auditor shall submit all eligible applications to the State Ethics Commission. 40
The State Ethics Commission shall review the eligible applications and submit 41
a diverse group of up to 60 applications to the General Assembly, as follows: 42
a. Applications submitted to the General Assembly shall reflect the 43
State's diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, 44
socioeconomic statuses, and geography. 45
b. The State Ethics Commission shall submit no more than 20 46
applications from persons registered in each of the following ways, as 47
reflected by the latest registration statistics published by the State 48
Board of Elections: 49
1. As affiliated with the political party with the highest number 50
of registered affiliates. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 6 House Bill 20-First Edition
2. As affiliated with the political party with the second-highest 1
number of registered affiliates. 2
3. As not affiliated with either of the two political parties having 3
the highest and second-highest number of registered affiliates. 4
c. If there are fewer than 20 applications from persons registered in 5
accordance with any sub-sub-subdivision of sub-subdivision (3)b. of 6
this subsection, the State Ethics Commission may submit additional 7
eligible applications to the General Assembly, as necessary, to reach a 8
total of 60 applications. 9
(4) Of the pool of candidates submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to 10
subdivision (3) of this subsection, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 11
the minority leader in the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 12
and the minority leader in the House of Representatives may each strike up to 13
six candidates. 14
(d) Appointment. – The Commission shall be composed of 15 members appointed from 15
the pool of candidates that remains after the leaders of the General Assembly have made their 16
strikes pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this section, as follows: 17
(1) Two members affiliated in each of the three ways identified in sub-subdivision 18
b. of subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of this section, appointed by the State 19
Ethics Commission, for a total of six members. 20
(2) Three members affiliated in each of the three ways identified in 21
sub-subdivision b. of subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of this section, by the 22
six members appointed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, for a 23
total of nine members. 24
(3) All appointing authorities shall consider the importance of diversity, as 25
defined in sub-subdivision (c)(3)a. of this section, when making their 26
appointments. 27
(e) Term of Office. – The term of office for members of the Commission shall begin on 28
July 1 of each year ending in zero. The members shall continue in office for 10 years until their 29
successors are appointed and qualified. 30
(f) Chair. – The position of chair of the Commission shall rotate every three months, 31
following a schedule randomly generated at the beginning of the redistricting cycle. No two 32
members who share the same party affiliation, or lack thereof, shall serve as chair in the same 33
six-month period. No member shall serve as chair more than once in a 12-month period. 34
(g) Removal from Office. – A member of the Commission may be removed from office, 35
as follows: 36
(1) By the authority that appointed the member for any of the following: 37
a. Failure to comply with G.S. 120-4.65. 38
b. Ineligibility pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 39
(2) By a vote of at least 11 members of the Commission, including at least one 40
commissioner appointed from the same sub-sub-subdivision of 41
sub-subdivision b. of subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of this section, in open 42
session at any duly held meeting, for any cause that renders the member 43
incapable or unfit to discharge the duties of the office, including neglect of 44
duty or gross misconduct. All Commission member votes on removal of a 45
member pursuant to this subdivision shall be recorded in the record. 46
(h) Vacancies. – Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Commission shall be 47
filled in the manner prescribed in this section by the authority that made the initial appointment. 48
Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term. 49
(i) Stipend. – Members of the Commission shall receive a stipend of one thousand two 50
hundred dollars ($1,200) for each month that the Commission meets. Beginning July 1, 2040, 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 20-First Edition Page 7
and every 10 years thereafter, the Legislative Services Officer shall adjust the monthly stipend 1
amount, as necessary, to ensure that the value of the stipend remains equivalent to the value 2
provided in the previous decade. The Legislative Services Officer shall base this adjustment on 3
the change in the Employment Cost Index (ECI) reported by the United States Bureau of Labor 4
Statistics or an equivalent measure of inflation. 5
(j) Other Expenses. – Members of the Commission may receive travel and subsistence, 6
as follows: 7
(1) Members who are officials or employees of a State agency or unit of local 8
government, in accordance with G.S. 138-6. 9
(2) All other members at the rate established in G.S. 138-5. 10
"§ 120-4.60. Staff. 11
(a) The Commission shall be administratively housed in the Legislative Services Office 12
of the General Assembly. 13
(b) The Commission may exercise its prescribed powers independently of the General 14
Assembly and the Legislative Services Officer. In order to pay expenses incidental to 15
implementing its purposes, the Commission may enter into contracts, own property, and accept 16
funds, grants, and gifts from academic and nonprofit entities that have never contributed to 17
political parties, persons holding public office, or candidates for public office. 18
(c) The Legislative Services Officer shall provide general administrative support to the 19
Commission, including purchasing, payroll, and similar administrative services. 20
(d) The Commission shall retain independent staff under contract, including an executive 21
secretary and any additional necessary supporting staff. As a whole, the political affiliations of 22
staff members, or lack thereof, shall be divided approximately into thirds among the two political 23
parties with the highest number of affiliates and among persons unaffiliated with a political party. 24
A person is ineligible to serve as a staff member to the Commission if that person would be 25
ineligible to serve as a member of the Commission pursuant to G.S. 120-4.55(b). Staff shall be 26
selected as follows: 27
(1) If there are at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 28
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., staff shall be selected by a vote 29
of at least nine members composed of at least three members appointed to the 30
Commission from each sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. 31
(2) If there are not at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 32
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., staff shall be selected by a vote 33
of all of the following: 34
a. At least three members from each sub-sub-subdivision of 35
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with more than three members appointed to the 36
Commission. 37
b. A unanimous vote from each sub-sub-subdivision of 38
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with three or fewer members appointed to the 39
Commission. 40
"§ 120-4.65. Open meetings and public records. 41
The Commission shall be subject to the Public Records Act, Chapter 132 of the General 42
Statutes, and the Open Meetings Law, Article 33C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes, except 43
to the extent those enactments conflict with the below requirements: 44
(1) Members of the Commission and staff shall not discuss the business of the 45
Commission outside public meetings. 46
(2) If a member of the Commission violates subdivision (1) of this section, he or 47
she shall place in the public records of the Commission (i) any violating 48
written communication and (ii) a written description of any violating oral 49
communication. The written description of an oral communication must 50
include the name of the parties to the communication, the date and 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 8 House Bill 20-First Edition
approximate time of the communication, and a description of the nature and 1
substance of the communication. 2
(3) The Commission shall provide at least 14 days' notice prior to any meeting in 3
which votes will be taken. 4
"§ 120-4.70. Redistricting criteria. 5
All plans shall meet the following goals, in order of priority: 6
(1) Each identified representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal 7
number of inhabitants. 8
(2) Compliance with the North Carolina Constitution, State law, the Constitution 9
of the United States, including the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth 10
Amendment, and federal law, to ensure that everyone, including members of 11
minority groups, have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their 12
choice. A plan shall not diminish or dilute the ability of a member of a 13
minority from electing a candidate of his or her choice, whether alone or in 14
coalition with others. 15
(3) In accordance with subdivisions (1) and (2) of this section, the population for 16
a legislative district shall be within five percent (5%) of the ideal population 17
for that district. Congressional districts shall each have a population that is as 18
nearly equal as practicable to the ideal population but in all cases within 19
one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of the ideal population for that district. 20
(4) All districts shall be contiguous. Areas that meet only at the points of 21
adjoining corners are not contiguous. 22
(5) Minimizing the number of split communities of interest with the following 23
communities of interest prioritized above all others and in the following order: 24
a. Municipalities and census designated places. 25
b. Precincts. 26
c. Counties. 27
(6) The Commission shall not consider electoral results or political considerations 28
in the preparation of a preliminary, proposed, or alternative plan. In order to 29
ensure that each citizen of the State has substantially equal voting power on 30
the basis of party affiliation, the Commission shall evaluate every proposed 31
and alternative plan after the plan is created to avoid inadvertently diminishing 32
or diluting a voter's opportunity to aggregate with likeminded voters to elect 33
a governing majority based on party affiliation. Before adopting a final plan, 34
the Commission shall revise any plan that it deems to have violated this 35
subdivision to the minimum extent necessary to remedy that violation. 36
(7) Districts shall not favor or disfavor an incumbent, and the Commission shall 37
not consider member residency in the preparation of a plan. 38
(8) To the extent practicable, all districts shall be compact. Districts should not 39
bypass nearby communities for more distant communities. 40
"§ 120-4.75. Adoption of redistricting plans by the Commission. 41
(a) Duties. – The Commission shall adopt preliminary, proposed, alternative, and final 42
plans, as follows: 43
(1) If there are at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 44
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., plans shall be adopted by a vote 45
of at least nine members composed of at least three members appointed to the 46
Commission from each sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. 47
(2) If there are not at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 48
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., plans shall be adopted by a vote 49
of all of the following: 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 20-First Edition Page 9
a. At least three members from each sub-sub-subdivision of 1
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with more than three members appointed to the 2
Commission. 3
b. A unanimous vote of the members from each sub-sub-subdivision of 4
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with three or fewer members appointed to the 5
Commission. 6
(b) Special Master. – At the beginning of the redistricting cycle, the State Ethics 7
Commission shall submit to the Commission a list of names of persons with an expertise in 8
redistricting who are qualified to serve as a special master. A person is ineligible to serve as a 9
special master if that person would be ineligible to serve as a member of the Commission 10
pursuant to G.S. 120-4.55(b). In the event a plan cannot be adopted pursuant to subsection (a) of 11
this section, the Commission shall appoint a special master from the list of names provided by 12
the State Ethics Commission, and the special master shall draw a plan and submit the plan, along 13
with the rationale for the plan, to the Commission, which shall adopt that plan. The special master 14
shall be appointed as follows: 15
(1) If there are at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 16
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., the special master shall be 17
appointed by a vote of at least nine members composed of at least three 18
members appointed to the Commission from each sub-sub-subdivision of 19
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. 20
(2) If there are not at least three members appointed to the Commission from each 21
sub-sub-subdivision of G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b., the special master shall be 22
appointed by a vote of all of the following: 23
a. At least three members from each sub-sub-subdivision of 24
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with more than three members appointed to the 25
Commission. 26
b. A unanimous vote of the members from each sub-sub-subdivision of 27
G.S. 120-4.55(c)(3)b. with three or fewer members appointed to the 28
Commission. 29
(c) Time Line. – The Commission shall adopt all plans no later than October 1 of the year 30
following each federal census. Prior to the adoption of a plan, the Commission shall adhere to 31
the following maximum time line: 32
(1) Within 30 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission 33
shall hold at least 10 initial public hearings pursuant to G.S. 120-4.80. 34
(2) Within 50 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission 35
shall release to the public preliminary plans for revising the congressional and 36
legislative districts. 37
(3) Within 70 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission 38
shall hold at least an additional 10 public hearings pursuant to G.S. 120-4.80. 39
(4) Within 90 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission 40
shall release to the public all of the following: 41
a. Proposed plans for revising the congressional and legislative districts. 42
b. Alternative plans for revising the congressional and legislative 43
districts. 44
c. A summary of public input provided pursuant to G.S. 120-4.80. 45
(5) Within 110 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission 46
shall vote to adopt final plans from its proposed or alternative plans for 47
revising the congressional and legislative districts. 48
(6) If the Commission fails to adopt any plan pursuant to subdivision (5) of this 49
subsection, the Commission shall adhere to the following extended maximum 50
time line: 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 10 House Bill 20-First Edition
a. Within 130 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the 1
Commission shall select from the list of names provided by the State 2
Ethics Commission pursuant to subsection (b) of this section a special 3
master to complete the plan or plans. The Commission shall provide 4
the special master with its proposed and alternative plans and all 5
supporting data. 6
b. Within 150 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the special 7
master shall prepare and release a plan and a rationale for any changes 8
from the plans released by the Commission. The special master shall 9
present the plan to the Commission. 10
c. Within 170 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the 11
Commission shall hold at least 10 public hearings pursuant to 12
G.S. 120-4.80 on the plan or plans presented by the special master. 13
d. Within 180 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the 14
Commission shall adopt as a final plan the plan presented by the 15
special master. 16
(7) Notwithstanding subdivisions (1) through (6) of this subsection, the 17
Commission may extend the maximum number of days between any event 18
required in this subsection by as many as seven days, up to a total of 40 days 19
over the course of a year, for good cause. 20
"§ 120-4.80. Public input. 21
(a) Public Hearings. – For each redistricting cycle, the Commission shall engage in a 22
minimum of 25 public hearings. At least one public hearing shall occur in each of the 23
metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas of the State. Of the total public hearings, at least 24
10 hearings shall occur before a preliminary plan is released to the public, and at least 10 hearings 25
shall occur after a preliminary plan is released to the public but before a proposed or alternative 26
plan is released to the public. 27
(b) Public Input. – To the extent possible, the Commission shall facilitate the ability of 28
members of the public to provide substantive comments on any plan released to the public. To 29
achieve that goal, the Commission shall provide members of the public with all of the following: 30
(1) Sufficient time to review any plan released to the public. 31
(2) The opportunity to communicate comments, questions, and recommendations 32
on any plan released to the public, at a minimum, in person, online, and 33
through the mail. The Commission shall reserve time at the end of every 34
meeting for in-person and virtual public comment. 35
(3) Access to the same demographic data that is used by the Commission in a 36
machine-readable form. 37
(4) Access to mapping software and census data in a minimum of 30 public library 38
facilities in the State within 20 days of receipt of that data from the United 39
States Bureau of the Census. 40
(5) A public, written response to every substantive comment or recommendation 41
regarding a specific component of a plan released to the public. The response 42
shall address the viability of any recommendation and indicate whether it was 43
or will be incorporated in any other plan. A single response may be provided 44
for one or more comments or recommendations on the same topic. 45
(6) At the conclusion of the redistricting process, the Commission shall publish a 46
written evaluation of each final plan, including at least the following 47
information: 48
a. The impact of the plans on the ability of minority groups, including 49
racial minorities, to elect candidates of their choice. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 20-First Edition Page 11
b. The degree to which the plans preserve or divide communities of 1
interest. 2
c. The rationale for changes in the plans from the prior districts. 3
d. The impact of the plans on the metropolitan and micropolitan 4
statistical areas of the State. 5
e. A summary of the public input received by the Commission on the 6
plans. 7
f. An explanation of how the plans comply with the redistricting criteria 8
provided in G.S. 120-4.70. 9
(7) A website with all of the following information: 10
a. Background information on the redistricting process available in at 11
least English and Spanish on the purpose of redistricting and its impact 12
on all communities. The Commission shall provide information in 13
other languages if at least 50,000 people petition the Commission to 14
have a particular language included. 15
b. Livestreams and recordings of all public meetings in audio, video, or 16
both formats and minutes from those meetings. 17
c. Meeting announcements. 18
d. A searchable database of feedback, including public comments, and 19
plans discussed by the Commission. This information shall be made 20
available as soon as practicable after it is generated. 21
e. Plans discussed by the Commission and the data used to create those 22
plans. 23
"§ 120-4.85. Local redistricting. 24
The General Assembly may by law assign to the Commission the duty to prepare district 25
plans for any county, city, town, special district, and other governmental subdivision, if the 26
governing board of the unit or a court of appropriate jurisdiction so requests." 27
SECTION 1.(h) Notwithstanding G.S. 120-4.55(e), as enacted by this act, for any 28
redistricting that may occur prior to the return of the 2030 federal census, the term of office for 29
members of the North Carolina Citizens Redistricting Commission shall begin on January 1, 30
2027, and conclude on June 30, 2030. 31
32
PART II. CONFORMING CHANGES 33
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 120-2.3 reads as rewritten: 34
"§ 120-2.3. Contents of judgments invalidating apportionment or redistricting acts. 35
Every order or judgment declaring unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in whole or in part 36
and for any reason, any act of the General Assembly plan that apportions or redistricts State 37
legislative or congressional districts shall find with specificity all facts supporting that 38
declaration, shall state separately and with specificity the court's conclusions of law on that 39
declaration, and shall, with specific reference to those findings of fact and conclusions of law, 40
identify every defect found by the court, both as to the plan as a whole and as to individual 41
districts." 42
SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 120-2.4 reads as rewritten: 43
"§ 120-2.4. Opportunity for General Assembly to remedy defects. 44
(a) If the General Assembly enacts a plan apportioning or redistricting State legislative 45
or congressional districts, districts becomes effective, in no event may a court impose its own 46
substitute plan unless the court first gives the General Assembly North Carolina Citizens 47
Redistricting Commission a period of time to remedy any defects identified by the court in its 48
findings of fact and conclusions of law. That period of time shall not be less than two weeks, 49
provided, however, that if the General Assembly is scheduled to convene legislative session 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 12 House Bill 20-First Edition
within 45 days of the date of the court order that period of time shall not be less than two weeks 1
from the convening of that legislative session.weeks. 2
(a1) In the event the General Assembly North Carolina Citizens Redistricting Commission 3
does not act to remedy any identified defects to its plan within that period of time, the court may 4
impose an interim districting plan for use in the next general election only, but that interim 5
districting plan may differ from the previous districting plan enacted by the General Assembly 6
only to the extent necessary to remedy any defects identified by the court. 7
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or authority of the State Board of 8
Elections under Chapter 163 of the General Statutes, the State Board of Elections shall have no 9
authority to alter, amend, correct, impose, or substitute any plan apportioning or redistricting 10
State legislative or congressional districts other than a plan imposed by a court under this section 11
or a plan enacted by the General Assembly.adopted by the North Carolina Citizens Redistricting 12
Commission." 13
14
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 15
SECTION 3.(a) If the constitutional amendments proposed by subsections (a), (b), 16
(c), and (d) of Section 1 of this act are approved by the qualified voters as provided in subsections 17
(e) and (f) of Section 1 of this act, the following shall become effective January 1, 2027: 18
(1) Subsections (g) and (h) of Section 1 of this act. 19
(2) Part II of this act. 20
SECTION 3.(b) Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 21
law. 22