We teach our children to follow the rules, and later in life they learn how to change the rules.

Election time is coming up fast and we will find out that some rules have been changed again and some other rules have even been ignored.

Since 2001, there have been U.S. Supreme Court rulings, N.C. Supreme Court rulings and, many years before those rulings, the NC State Constitution established rules for setting up voting districts.

All the steps for creating a voting district are gathered in a plan that is not hard to follow. It is truly a plan that a middle school civics class could use to create our voting districts. Our General Assembly, for the first time in recent history, followed the plan, to a certain point. It was even streamed to the public for increased transparency.

After choosing a map, from a selection of computer generated maps, the House Committee changed the rules by electing to use a map that considered themselves, the incumbents. The computer created 1,000 maps that went by the rules.

Your incumbent representatives chose to change the rules and discriminate against the voters of their district in favor of creating a district favoring them to win another term. After making the decision to use the map that considered incumbents each representative got the opportunity to move some district lines that would improve his or her chances of being re-elected. Imagine being able to take a test and then being able to throw out the wrong answers.

We are getting closer to fair and constitutional districts. After the census next year we will have another round of drawing voting districts. It is likely that Rowan will have a large enough population to create two districts that will not cross any county, municipal or precinct lines.

Our state representatives will have to serve not only the voters that elected them, but they will also be forced to serve the voters that did not elect them.

Joe Fowler

Salisbury