The legislative panel charged with the task is under party pressure not to disturb the present balance of six Republicans and six Democrats now in the North Carolina delegation. That's the bad news. The good news is that it is possible to achieve political and racial equity while satisfying all the parties and increasing the prospects for civility and cooperation. A voter could cast one ballot for each of three candidates, split the three votes between two candidates, or give them all to a single candidate. Cooperation was a natural.
Cumulative voting helps to avoid most of that.
The system, applied to congressional elections, might go a long way toward promoting cooperation across party, racial and other lines, since candidates would have to appeal to a much wider electorate. Demagogues would have a tough time winning. Mel Watt is a co-sponsor. Maybe it's too much to expect that something so sensible could be done, requiring, as it does, both federal and state action. But when I look at the mess in North Carolina's 12th District, I have to think it's worth a shot.