GREENSBORO, NC (March 14, 2011) – While the latest US Census figures indicate that Greensboro’s population has grown, City of Greensboro staff evaluations report that the increase appears to be uniform across all districts. Because the City does not appear to be in violation of the 14th Amendment, which requires districts to be equally populated, the decision to redistrict will be left to Greensboro City Council.

United States Supreme Court decisions suggest that if the variance between district populations – when comparing the lowest populated district with the highest – is 10 percent or less, redistricting may not be necessary according to guidelines in the 14th Amendment. Greensboro’s total variance rate is 9.2 percent, with the greatest variance existing between Districts 4 and 5.

Without redistricting, Greensboro still meets other US Department of Justice district boundary requirements, including maintaining two majority-minority districts. Meanwhile, City Council could elect to continue the redistricting process to better balance the populations between districts.

The City is hosting a public meeting to discuss redistricting, set for 5:30 pm today, in Room 4 of the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. Residents are invited to attend the meeting, hosted by City Councilmember Zack Matheny, to provide feedback and learn more about changes to Council’s district boundaries.

For more information, including a map of the district population counts, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/redistricting.

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