Several local races in Georgia had no candidate reach 50% on November 5th. As such, there will be runoffs across the state. We'll keep an eye on all the results here!

Results are available via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

North Carolina is a state of balance, a true purple state. With our nearly 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans, North Carolinians expect fairness when it comes to how their voices are represented in Congress. But the Republican-controlled legislature’s latest gerrymandered election maps did more than just silence voters in North Carolina. They reshaped the balance of power in Washington D.C., costing Democrats control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Here’s the reality: the congressional map we used to have, with a 7-7 Republican-Democratic split, reflected the true political makeup of our state. It was fair. It gave voters on both sides confidence that their voices mattered. But that wasn’t good enough for legislative Republicans in Raleigh. They threw fairness out the window, forcing through a mid-decade map that handed Republicans an unfair 10-4 advantage in the next Congress. That’s 71% of North Carolina’s seats in the U.S. House going to Republicans and those 10 bright red districts were not even close.

It doesn’t take a mathematician to see what’s wrong with that. And now, with Adam Gray’s apparent victory in California’s 13th District giving Republicans a bare three-seat majority in the U.S. House, it’s clear that gerrymandering in North Carolina tipped the scales in their favor and cost Democrats control of the US House of Representatives.

My district along with the districts of Jeff Jackson and Kathy Manning were turned into safe Republican seats where Democrats had zero chance to win. Had North Carolina sent the three of us back to Washington, under fair maps, then New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries would be our next Speaker of the House with a one seat Democratic majority at 218-217.

Let’s be clear. This wasn’t an accident. This was by design. Republicans in Congress can give North Carolina Speaker Tim Moore a big wet kiss when he gets to Washington. Not only did he draw himself a safe Republican seat, but he gave Republicans the three House seats that became the difference in control of Congress.

The MAGA Republicans in Raleigh who drew these maps didn’t care about reflecting the will of the people. They cared about power. They used the redistricting process to rig the system, taking advantage of their supermajority to draw lines that would give them three more seats — no matter what the voters wanted.

But voters deserve better. They deserve a system where their voices are heard, where their votes matter, and where their representatives are chosen by the people — not by politicians drawing lines behind closed doors.

That’s why I’m fighting for my bill, the Fair Maps Act, which would establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions in every state across the country. These commissions would take the power out of politicians’ hands and ensure that congressional maps are drawn fairly and transparently.

The research proves it works. Studies from Duke Universityand other nonpartisan institutions show that independent redistricting will create maps that better reflect the actual political makeup of North Carolina. This isn’t about giving one party an advantage. It’s about fairness. It’s about restoring trust in our democracy.

When gerrymandering silences voters, the consequences are devastating. Look no further than this year’s election. A gerrymandered North Carolina map didn’t just strip fair representation from our state’s voters — it changed the course of history by giving control of the U.S. House of Representatives to Republicans instead of Democrats.

We can’t let this happen again.

While I won’t be going back to Congress because of extreme, partisan gerrymandering, I’m not giving up or going out quietly in the fight for fair voting maps. The people of North Carolina and across the country deserve better. They deserve fair maps, a fair system, and a democracy they can trust. It’s time to end gerrymandering once and for all.

Wiley Nickel represents North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

https://amp.newsobserver.com/opinion/article296319684.html

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

Here's how you can make a difference and stop Republicans:

1. Help win elections! You don't have to wait until 2026; every Tuesday is Election Day somewhere. Check our sidebar, and then click that link to see how to get involved!

2. Join your local Democratic Party! We win when we build real connections in our community, and get organized early. Your party needs your voice!

3. Tell a friend about us, and get them engaged!

If we keep it up over the next four years, we'll block Trump, and take back power city by city, county by county, state by state. We'll save lives, and build the world we want to live in.

We're not going back.

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

Here's how you can make a difference and stop Republicans:

1. Help win elections! You don't have to wait until 2026; every Tuesday is Election Day somewhere. Check our sidebar, and then click that link to see how to get involved!

2. Join your local Democratic Party! We win when we build real connections in our community, and get organized early. Your party needs your voice!

3. Tell a friend about us, and get them engaged!

If we keep it up over the next four years, we'll block Trump, and take back power city by city, county by county, state by state. We'll save lives, and build the world we want to live in.

We're not going back.

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

Here's how you can make a difference and stop Republicans:

1. Help win elections! You don't have to wait until 2026; every Tuesday is Election Day somewhere. Check our sidebar, and then click that link to see how to get involved!

2. Join your local Democratic Party! We win when we build real connections in our community, and get organized early. Your party needs your voice!

3. Tell a friend about us, and get them engaged!

If we keep it up over the next four years, we'll block Trump, and take back power city by city, county by county, state by state. We'll save lives, and build the world we want to live in.

We're not going back.

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

So here's what we need you all to do:

1. Keep volunteering! Did you know we could still win the House and completely block Trump's agenda? You can help voters whose ballots were rejected get counted! Sign up here!

2. Get ready for upcoming elections! Mississippi - you have runoffs November 26th! Georgia - you're up on December 3rd! Louisiana - see you December 7th for local runoffs, including keeping MAGA out of the East Baton Rouge Mayor's office!! And it's never too early to start organizing for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April, or Virginia and New Jersey next November. Check out our stickied weekly volunteer post for all the details!

3. Get involved! Your local Democratic Party needs you. No more complaining about how the party should be - it's time to show up and make it happen.

There are scary times ahead, and the only way to make them less scary is to strip as much power away from Republicans as possible. And that's not Kamala Harris' job, or Chuck Schumer's job, or the DNC's job. It's our job, as people who understand how to win elections. Pick up that phonebanking shift, knock those doors, tell your friends to register and vote, and together we'll make an America that embraces everyone.

If you believe - correctly - that our lives depend on it, the time to act is now.

We're not going back.

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

So here's what we need you all to do:

1. Keep volunteering! Did you know we could still win the House and completely block Trump's agenda? You can help voters whose ballots were rejected get counted! Sign up here!

2. Get ready for upcoming elections! Mississippi - you have runoffs November 26th! Georgia - you're up on December 3rd! Louisiana - see you December 7th for local runoffs, including keeping MAGA out of the East Baton Rouge Mayor's office!! And it's never too early to start organizing for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April, or Virginia and New Jersey next November. Check out our stickied weekly volunteer post for all the details!

3. Get involved! Your local Democratic Party needs you. No more complaining about how the party should be - it's time to show up and make it happen.

There are scary times ahead, and the only way to make them less scary is to strip as much power away from Republicans as possible. And that's not Kamala Harris' job, or Chuck Schumer's job, or the DNC's job. It's our job, as people who understand how to win elections. Pick up that phonebanking shift, knock those doors, tell your friends to register and vote, and together we'll make an America that embraces everyone.

If you believe - correctly - that our lives depend on it, the time to act is now.

We're not going back.

We've seen the election results, just like you. And our response is simple:

#WE'RE. NOT. GOING. BACK.

This community was born eight years ago in the aftermath of the first Trump election. As r/BlueMidterm2018, we went from scared observers to committed activists. We were a part of the blue wave in 2018, the toppling of Trump in 2020, and Roevember in 2022 - and hundreds of other wins in between. And that's what we're going to do next. And if you're here, so are you.

We're done crying, pointing fingers, and panicking. None of those things will save us. Winning some elections and limiting Trump's reach will save us.

So here's what we need you all to do:

1. Keep volunteering! Did you know we could still win the House and completely block Trump's agenda? You can help voters whose ballots were rejected get counted! Sign up here!

2. Get ready for upcoming elections! Mississippi - you have runoffs November 26th! Georgia - you're up on December 3rd! Louisiana - see you December 7th for local runoffs, including keeping MAGA out of the East Baton Rouge Mayor's office!! And it's never too early to start organizing for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April, or Virginia and New Jersey next November. Check out our stickied weekly volunteer post for all the details!

3. Get involved! Your local Democratic Party needs you. No more complaining about how the party should be - it's time to show up and make it happen.

There are scary times ahead, and the only way to make them less scary is to strip as much power away from Republicans as possible. And that's not Kamala Harris' job, or Chuck Schumer's job, or the DNC's job. It's our job, as people who understand how to win elections. Pick up that phonebanking shift, knock those doors, tell your friends to register and vote, and together we'll make an America that embraces everyone.

If you believe - correctly - that our lives depend on it, the time to act is now.

We're not going back.