AN ACT to provide for the partisan election of members of the Board of Education of the Public Schools of Robeson County.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Section 5.1 of Chapter 605 of the Session Laws of 1987, as amended by Chapter 614 of the Session Laws of 1991, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 5.1.  (a)  Elections for the Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County shall be held at the time of the general election with the primary election held at the same time as the primary election for county officers as established by G.S. 163‑1.

(a1)      The elections for the eight district seats shall be conducted on a non-partisan partisan basis, with the results determined by plurality in accordance with G.S. 163-292.G.S. 163‑291.

(a2)      Three members of the Board of Education for the Public Schools shall be elected at large on a non-partisan partisan basis by all the qualified voters of Robeson County in 1992 and quadrennially thereafter for four‑year terms. The election for those at‑large seats shall be with limited voting, whereby each voter will be being entitled to vote for one candidate, three candidates and the top three vote getters will be elected by a plurality of votes.from each primary being nominated for the general election and the top three vote getters in the general election being elected to the at‑large seats.

(a3)      Except as otherwise provided by this act, elections shall be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 115C and Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

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SECTION 1.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with elections held in 2026.

SECTION 2.(a)  Section 9 of Chapter 605 of the Session Laws of 1987, as amended by Chapter 614 of the Session Laws of 1991, reads as rewritten:

Sec. 9. Vacancies on the Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County for members elected in 2020, 2022, and 2024 shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board. In the case of a district seat, the Board must appoint a resident of that district. For vacancies that occur beginning in 2026, the seat shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C‑37.1.

SECTION 2.(b)  G.S. 115C‑37.1(d) reads as rewritten:

(d)      This section shall apply only in the following counties: Alleghany, Beaufort, Brunswick, Burke, Caldwell, Carteret, Cherokee, Clay, Craven, Dare, Davie, Graham, Harnett, Hyde, Iredell, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Vance, Washington, and Yancey.

SECTION 2.(c)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to vacancies that occur on or after that date.

SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.