2023 Talking Policy in the Queen City to tackle redistricting

Michael Bitzer, the Leonard Chair of Political Science at Catawba College, will present “40 Years of Déjà vu All Over Again: Redistricting in North Carolina and What 2022 Election Results Portend for the Next Round” at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 16, at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City.

This talk is for the fifth annual Talking Policy in the Queen City series sponsored by the University’s Public Policy Ph.D. Program.

Bitzer, author of “Redistricting and Gerrymandering in North Carolina: Battlelines in the Tar Heel State,” will discuss how the state has struggled with redistricting, which is the redrawing of legislative maps. The effect of this constant manipulation of representation is that constituents argue about the fairness of district boundaries and the net effect on voting. Rather than being a routine adjustment to reflect changing populations, some say the revisions are designed to favor those in power.

A member of the Catawba College faculty since 2002, Bitzer earned a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and a master’s degree in history from Clemson University. His research focuses on modern American history, Southern political history and the history of Nazi Germany.

Prior to the talk, there will be a student poster session at reception, starting at 6 p.m. This public event is free; however, registration is encouraged.