Moore County is currently split between the 8th District and 9th District along a north/south boundary line.

Moore County could be reunited into a single Congressional district by the North Carolina General Assembly depending on how new electoral maps are redrawn.

North Carolina gained a 14th seat in the U.S. House as a result of the 2020 Census. State legislators began the process of carving out a new district by adopting a set of map-drawing rules last month. Among other things, it encourages county boundaries to be followed with few exceptions.

However, shifting congressional districts has been more of the norm rather than the exception in Moore County for the last decade.

In 2011, the county moved from the 6th to the 2nd District, then to the 8th District in 2016. More recently, Moore County was split into two districts mostly along a north/south boundary line prior to the 2020 congressional elections.

Currently U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson represents the 8th District which encompasses much of the northern end of the county including Carthage, Cameron, Vass, Bensalem, Deep River and High Falls, Little River, Robbins and Westmoore precincts. U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop represents the 9th District which carries all of the precincts in southern Moore County including Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Pinebluff, Seven Lakes, Southern Pines, and West End. Several precincts, including Whispering Pines and Eastwood, were split between the two districts.

State legislators can take into account where incumbent representatives currently live in drawing the electoral maps, in addition to an area’s population and municipal boundaries.

Prompted by North Carolina’s beleaguered history of gerrymandering, the newly adopted rules prohibit the use of racial data, “partisan considerations” and election results data in the drawing of districts.

Lawmakers are also attempting to put more transparency into the redistricting process by scheduling a series of public hearings across the state this month to gather community input. No public hearings will be held in Moore County but events nearby include:

*Tuesday, Sept. 28 – UNC-Pembroke, hearing starts at 4 p.m. at 115 Livermore Drive, Pembroke, Office for Regional Initiatives

*Thursday, Sept. 30 – Fayetteville Technical Community College, hearing starts at 6 p.m. at 2220 Hull Road, Fayetteville NC, 28303, Tony Rand Student Center, Rooms 9.1 & 9.2

In addition, the House Redistricting Committee and Senate Redistricting and Elections Committee established a web-based portal to gather public comments on House, Senate, and Congressional district plans. Comments can be posted to https://www.ncleg.gov/requestforcomments/38