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C1415 W. Hwy 54, Suite 101 •�� O;� SOUTHERN Durham, NC 27707 •,,,44• COALITION 919-323-3380 04%% for SOCIAL JUSTICE southerncoalition.org October 18,2021 VIA EMAIL To: Attorney Whitney Parrish County Attorney, Lee County,North Carolina CC: Kirk D. Smith, Chair of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Arianna Lavallee, Vice Chair of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Cameron Sharpe, Member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Robert T. Reives, Member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Mark Lovick, Member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Dr. Andre Knecht, Member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Bill Carver, Member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Re: Proposed Board Redistricting"Plan F" Attorney Parrish, We write to you today on behalf of Brenda Johnson who lives at 815 W. McIntosh Street, which is within Board District 1. We have significant concerns not only about the redistricting process utilized by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners (the `Board") in proposing Board redistricting "Plan F", but also that the resulting map may undermine the ability of Black voters to elect their candidate of choice. It has come to our attention that the redistricting process that the Board has undertaken has been non-transparent with respect to"Proposed Plan F"because it was presented without public comment after the Board's only public hearing on potential Board redistricting plans. In reviewing Plan F we have concerns that if passed, Plan F will potentially violate state and/or federal law because it significantly dilutes the voting power of Black voters in District 1. The significant modification of District 1, the County's only minority opportunity district,' is problematic and the Board should consider adopting a different plan. Prior to Plan F being proposed, the Board had previously narrowed the universe of proposed districting plans to Plans A and E. It is our opinion that Plan A does the best job of preserving the core of a historic and important district for Black voters, whereas Plan F does not. Lee County,North Carolina and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 In 1989, the Lee County Chapter of the NAACP filed suit against the Board alleging that the at-large method of election then in place violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ("VRA") because it did not provide Black voters with the opportunity to elect their candidates of choice in ' District 1 is the only district where Black voters and LatinX voters make up the majority of the population(72.7% as currently configured). About Us: The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partners with communities of 11 ' , I , color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of `` ' legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications. 1101