GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2023

SESSION LAW 2023-147

SENATE BILL 759

AN ACT to establish election districts for the watauga county board of commissioners TO ESTABLISH RESIDENCY DISTRICTS FOR THE ANSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS; AND TO MODIFY THE PRIMARY PROCESS THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Until modified, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners shall consist of five Board members who shall serve staggered four‑year terms. The Board members on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners shall be elected from five single‑member electoral districts. One Board member shall be elected from each district, and the qualified voters of each district shall elect the Board member for that district. Only qualified voters residing in that district may vote for the Board member from that district, and each candidate for a district seat shall reside in the district in which the candidate seeks election. The districts are as follows:

District 1: Watauga County: VTD 005, VTD 006, VTD 007: Block(s) 1899203002025, 1899204001040, 1899204001049, 1899204001054, 1899204001055, 1899204002000, 1899204002001, 1899204002005, 1899204003000, 1899204003001, 1899204003004, 1899204003013, 1899204003014, 1899204003017, 1899204003018, 1899204003019, 1899204003020, 1899204003021, 1899204003022, 1899204003023, 1899204003032, 1899204003033, 1899204003037, 1899204003040; VTD 012.

District 2: Watauga County: VTD 013, VTD 014: Block(s) 1899204001007, 1899204001008, 1899204001011, 1899204001012, 1899204001013, 1899204001014, 1899204001015, 1899204001016, 1899204001017, 1899204001018, 1899204001019, 1899204001042, 1899204001043, 1899204001044, 1899204001045, 1899204001046, 1899204001047, 1899204001048, 1899204001050, 1899204001051, 1899204001052, 1899204001053, 1899204001059, 1899204001060, 1899204001061, 1899204001062, 1899204001063, 1899204001064, 1899204001065, 1899204001071, 1899204001072, 1899204001073, 1899204001074, 1899204001075, 1899204001083, 1899204001084, 1899204001085, 1899204001086, 1899204001087, 1899204001088, 1899207011082, 1899207011083, 1899207011084, 1899207031012, 1899207031016, 1899207031035, 1899207031036; VTD 015.

District 3: Watauga County: VTD 002, VTD 007: Block(s) 1899203002002, 1899203002003, 1899203002004, 1899203002008, 1899203002009, 1899203002010, 1899203002011, 1899203002012, 1899203002016, 1899203002017, 1899203002018, 1899203002019, 1899203002020, 1899203002021, 1899203002022, 1899203002023, 1899203002024, 1899203002026, 1899203002027, 1899203002028, 1899204003036, 1899204003038, 1899206021006, 1899206021007, 1899206021008, 1899206021050, 1899206021052, 1899206021054, 1899206021055, 1899206021056, 1899206021058, 1899206021060, 1899209004005, 1899209004006, 1899209004007, 1899209004008, 1899209004009, 1899209004031, 1899209004032; VTD 010, VTD 017, VTD 019, VTD 020.

District 4: Watauga County: VTD 001, VTD 007: Block(s) 1899202003028, 1899202003029, 1899202003042, 1899203001002, 1899203001003, 1899203001004, 1899203001005, 1899203001007, 1899203001008, 1899203001023, 1899203001024, 1899203001025, 1899203001026, 1899203001027, 1899203001028, 1899203001029, 1899203002000, 1899203002001, 1899204003003, 1899204003005, 1899204003006, 1899204003007, 1899204003008, 1899204003009, 1899204003010, 1899204003011, 1899204003012, 1899204003015, 1899204003016, 1899204003024, 1899204003025, 1899204004017, 1899204004018, 1899204004021, 1899204004022, 1899204004023, 1899204004025, 1899204004026, 1899204004027, 1899204004028, 1899204004029, 1899204004031, 1899204004032, 1899204004037, 1899204004040; VTD 008, VTD 011, VTD 014: Block(s) 1899201003027, 1899201003028, 1899201003029, 1899201003030, 1899201003031, 1899204001000, 1899204001001, 1899204001002, 1899204001003, 1899204001004, 1899204001005, 1899204001006, 1899204001009, 1899204001010, 1899204001020, 1899204001021, 1899204001022, 1899204001023, 1899204001024, 1899204001025, 1899204001026, 1899204001039, 1899204001041, 1899204001078, 1899204001079, 1899204001081, 1899204001082, 1899204004011, 1899204004012, 1899204004014, 1899204004015, 1899204004016, 1899204004019, 1899204004020, 1899204004024, 1899204004030, 1899204004033, 1899204004034, 1899204004035, 1899204004036, 1899204004038, 1899204004039, 1899207011028, 1899207011029, 1899207011030, 1899207011064, 1899207011065, 1899207031000, 1899207031001, 1899207031002, 1899207031003, 1899207031004, 1899207031005, 1899207031006, 1899207031007, 1899207031008, 1899207031009, 1899207031010, 1899207031011, 1899207031014, 1899207031022; VTD 016.

District 5: Watauga County: VTD 003, VTD 004, VTD 009, VTD 018.

SECTION 1.(b)  To implement staggering of terms for the members of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners in accordance with Section 1 of this act, the Board members shall be elected and serve as follows:

(1)        In 2024, and every four years thereafter, the members elected from Districts 3, 4, and 5 shall each serve a four‑year term.

(2)        In 2026, and every four years thereafter, the members elected from Districts 1 and 2 shall each serve a four‑year term.

SECTION 2.(a)  The Anson County Board of Commissioners shall consist of seven members elected from seven single‑member residency districts. One member shall be elected from each residency district. No candidate shall be eligible to file for, be elected to, or serve on the Anson County Board of Commissioners unless the candidate is a qualified voter and resident of the district in which that candidate seeks to be elected. All candidates shall be voted on by all eligible voters in the county. Members shall take office and qualify on the first Monday in December of the year of election, and the terms of their predecessors shall expire at that same time. Members shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified.

SECTION 2.(b)  The residency districts required by this section shall be the election districts used in the 2020 and 2022 elections for the Anson County Board of Commissioners until revised.

SECTION 2.(c)  Chapter 281 of the 1987 Session Laws is repealed.

SECTION 2.(d)  This section is effective the first Monday in December 2026, and elections shall be conducted accordingly.

SECTION 3.  Section 3 of S.L. 1997‑32 reads as rewritten:

Section 3.  The period of filing of candidates for the Board of Education shall be the same as for other county offices.  If the number of three or more candidates who qualify to run for the board Johnston County Board of Education in each district in any election year is at least three more than twice the number of seats being elected that year, there shall be a nonpartisan primary held at the same time as party primaries for other county offices; otherwise, there shall be no primary.  The purpose of the primary, if one is required, shall be to reduce the number of candidates to twice the number of seats open.  The number of two candidates receiving the most highest number of votes in the primary, equal to twice the number of seats open, shall in each residency district shall be nominated for the November general election, with no second primary.

SECTION 4.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 25th day of October, 2023.

                                                                    s/  Phil Berger

                                                                         President Pro Tempore of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives