by Randolph Voller

With the US census data set to be released in mid-2021, change is in the air.
The data from the the census dictates the level of funding a county or municipality will receive annually from the federal government for the next ten years.
Currently, annual federal funding is in excess of $1.5 trillion a year which means approximately $4,173.36 of funding per capita for North Carolina annually.
Also in play is redistricting, which is a hot topic in Washington and in statehouses across America.
Although a super majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation or leaning, reject the idea of politicians picking their voters, we as a nation have done a poor job on both sides of the aisle in standing up against the insidious practice known as gerrymandering.
On April 19th, the County Board of Commissioners listened to a presentation about redistricting during their laconic afternoon session.
In Chatham County the current system elects the five commissioners countywide and requires commissioners to reside in a district.
We do not have “district voting” per se in Chatham, but merely its illusion that utilizes a “residency requirement” while still electing all commissioners countywide.
This system means that our districts do not need to be balanced by population nor equivalently sized geographical areas.
Perhaps it is time to explore all possible options and determine whether the current system and the layout of our districts serves the interest of Chatham’s citizens in 2021.

Randolph Voller, Publisher