A group of Watauga County voters, together with the Watauga County Voting Rights Taskforce and Common Cause North Carolina, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging changes made by state lawmakers to county voting maps. The legal action comes after the North Carolina legislature blocked the results of a 2024 countywide referendum in which 71% of Watauga voters chose to adopt locally drawn voting districts over maps imposed by the legislature.
The plaintiffs argue that two bills sponsored by Senator Ralph Hise of Mitchell County established unfair voting districts for both the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education. They allege these maps violate constitutional principles, including “one-person, one-vote.”
Ray Russell, a former Watauga County Commissioner and plaintiff in the case, said: “Watauga County residents voted to adopt fair districts while rejecting the gerrymandered maps imposed on us by the legislature. We’re filing this lawsuit to protect our mountain community against the unconstitutional overreach by politicians in Raleigh.”
Filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, the complaint claims that actions taken by state legislators infringe upon First Amendment rights and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The suit contends that Sen. Hise and his colleagues targeted certain groups within Watauga County, placing undue burdens on their right to vote.
Cathy Williamson, a resident and State Advisory Board member with Common Cause North Carolina, stated: “We’re speaking up for our fellow Watauga County voters and for all North Carolinians. If the legislature’s illegal actions are allowed to stand, it could open the door for self-serving politicians to disenfranchise voters from the Appalachian Mountains to the Albemarle Sound. We can’t let that happen.”
Senator Hise’s legislation restructured how commissioners are elected in Watauga County and required both commissioners and school board members to be chosen using new district lines drawn by state lawmakers rather than local officials or nonpartisan methods. According to those challenging these laws, students at Appalachian State University were concentrated into two larger districts through map manipulation, diminishing their electoral influence; some precincts were split among three different districts.
The locally developed alternative plan proposed two at-large seats along with three equally populated contiguous districts without consideration of party affiliation—criteria not used in creating legislative maps.
Despite majority support across every precinct for this alternative plan during November 2024 elections, state lawmakers intervened before votes were cast by passing legislation delaying implementation until 2034—a restriction unique among counties statewide.
Omar Noureldin, Senior Vice President of Policy and Litigation at Common Cause said: “From the statehouse to the schoolhouse, voters — not politicians — should decide who represents them. We will challenge every attempt to flip that principle on its head because no community is too small to protect.”
Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina added: “There’s no doubt that politicians in Raleigh violated the law, ignored the will of voters, and trampled on the rights of Watauga County residents. We’re proud to stand with the people of Watauga County as they stand up to protect their freedom to vote against the legislature’s unconstitutional actions.”
