The Republican-controlled legislature approved maps in July that pit some political rivals and even allies against each other. In addition, small towns that have seen population growth are gaining political clout with additional seats at the state and national level.

Voters in Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs and Morrisville will see new lawmakers in the state House, state Senate or Congress.

For instance, Holly Springs voters would be split among three state House lawmakers and two U.S. House members. The town had one member in each legislative chamber under the old maps.

It's not uncommon for the legislature to use the redistricting process to wreck havoc with the opposition by sticking two lawmakers into the same district, which is known as "double-bunking."

Three races in southwestern Wake County will pit two incumbents against each other.

At the state House level, Jennifer Weiss, a veteran Democrat from Cary, has been placed in the same district with Republican Rep. Tom Murry of Morrisville, who is serving his first term. Weiss will now compete for votes in Murry's District 41, which includes parts of Cary, Morrisville and Apex.

The race could prove interesting: previous presidential election results show the newly drawn district went 52 percent for Barack Obama in 2008 and 59 percent for George Bush in 2004.

With or without redistricting, Murry said, he likely would have faced opposition.

"My style of campaigning is to go where the voters are. It doesn't matter to me who my opponent is," he said.

The new lines will make District 41 more compact, eliminating Raleigh and focusing on southwestern Wake, Murry said.

"The redistricting is a legal exercise," he said. "It's not just an exercise in politics."

Republicans said the new maps were the result of demographic forces, not political ones. The state has added 1.5 million voters in the past decade and seen population shifts to urban areas. Court decisions also protect African-American districts and require that legislative districts be in one county or as few counties as possible.

The maps now must withstand scrutiny from federal authorities and likely legal challenges.

"This is a far more even approach. These are truly fair and legal maps," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Republican from Cary, who is chairman of the House Redistricting Committee. "We have followed the law, even when it placed incumbent Republicans against other incumbent Republicans."

The new maps also create an opportunity in N.C. Senate District 18, which now includes about 3,426 people in Fuquay-Varina.

Democratic Sen. Bob Atwater of Chapel Hill currently represents District 18 but he was placed in District 23, occupied by fellow Democrat Sen. Eleanor "Ellie" Kinnaird of Chapel Hill, leaving an opening.

Congress changes, too

At the national level, U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, a Republican in District 2, has taken over portions of Apex, Cary and Holly Springs.

These were towns historically held by Democratic David Price of District 4.

Ellmers also added a portion - about 7,000 people - in Morrisville.

The rest will stay in Price's district, which also includes parts of Cary.

If the maps stay, Price would have to face off against Rep. Brad Miller, a fellow longtime Democrat, in order to keep his seat. Miller, who represents District 13, was placed in Price's territory.

Both men would prefer not to have to face each other, said LuAnn Canipe, a spokeswoman for Miller.

"They are standing shoulder-to-shoulder to challenge the maps as they are currently drawn because they are in violation of the Voting Rights Act," she said.

The NAACP and other groups that represent minority voters have said the redrawn maps turn civil rights legislation on its head by packing black voters into a handful of districts while leaving the rest whiter and potentially more Republican.

If the maps aren't changed in the review process, Canipe said Price and Miller would have to come to a decision about the District 4 race.

"Both men will give it prayerful consideration as far as who will run," she said. "They have a great deal of respect for each other."

The redrawn district will encompass parts of Apex, Cary, Holly Springs and Morrisville and all of Fuquay-Varina.