Fair



Fair representation matters. For too long, District 1 (Chapel Hill/Carrboro) has held a majority of the seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Right now, the board is made up of 3 seats from District 1, 2 seats from District 2 (Hillsborough and most of the unincorporated county), and 2 at-large seats. I’m proposing a re-balancing of that structure: Reduce District 1 from 3 seats to 2, and Convert that former third D1 seat into a third at-large seat. An additional at-large seat would give more residents across the whole county a chance to serve, instead of limiting opportunities based on where someone lives. The three large municipalities already have their own city governments that guide how those communities grow. The county has far less say over municipal decisions, but county policy still affects everyone—especially those living outside town limits. Under my proposal, Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents could still run for the new at-large seat they would simply face more competition from candidates across the county. I don’t see that as unfair—I see it as healthy democracy. I understand this change would require action by the NC General Assembly, and I would support putting it on the ballot and letting the voters decide if this is the representation system they want for Orange County.



Fact Sheet: Redistricting Local Elected Seats in North Carolina



  1. Local governments only have the powers the state gives them. In North Carolina, cities and counties get their authority from the NC General Assembly, through general statutes and local acts. Local governments cannot change their own election structures if those are fixed by state law or local act.
  2. County boards of commissioners must follow state law on structure. Every county is required to have a board of commissioners, and the number of seats, terms, and election method in many counties are set by statute or local act of the General Assembly.
  3. County commissioners themselves are responsible for redrawing their districts. When a county uses commissioner districts, the board of county commissioners is responsible for redefining those district boundaries, under G.S. 153A-22.
  4. Districts must be close in population (“one person, one vote”). County commissioner districts have to comply with federal equal-population rules. Guidance to counties explains that new districts are drawn to correct “substantial inequality of population” among districts, and boards adopt new districts by resolution when they find imbalances based on the census.
  5. Timing matters: new maps must be adopted well before an election. For commissioners, new district lines must be adopted at least 150 days before the primary if they are to be used in that election. This deadline comes from county redistricting guidance based on G.S. 153A-22 and election law.
  6. Redistricting cannot cut short a current commissioner’s term. County redistricting guidance notes that no change in district boundaries affects the unexpired term of a commissioner residing in that district on the effective date of the resolution. In practice, that means new maps usually take full effect over a cycle, not overnight.
  7. Voting Rights Act and court orders still apply to local redistricting. Many North Carolina counties and cities have faced Voting Rights Act lawsuits in the past, resulting in consent decrees that require them to use specific election methods or district structures. Any new local redistricting has to respect those court orders and avoid diluting minority voting strength.
  8. Local changes to board structure often require action by the General Assembly. While counties can adjust district lines under G.S. 153A-22, changing the basic structure of a board (such as how many district seats vs. at-large seats) is frequently controlled by a local act of the General Assembly. In those cases, the legislature must pass a new local law to change the structure.
  9. Cities follow a similar but slightly different framework. City governing boards are usually defined in the city charter, which is itself a local act of the General Assembly, but cities have some authority under Chapter 160A to amend their charters and election methods within statutory limits. The exact process depends on the city’s existing charter and state law.
  10. Election administrators must implement any changes on the ground. When local districts change, county boards of elections (working with the State Board) must update precincts, voter assignments, and ballot styles so that voters receive the correct ballots for their new districts. This adds an administrative step and a practical timing constraint to any redistricting decision.

Sources

  • N.C. General Statutes, Chapter 153A (Counties) – especially G.S. 153A-22 (Redefining electoral district boundaries).
  • North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) – “The Very Basics on County Redistricting” (PDF) and county commissioner elections overview.
  • UNC School of Government – “The Basics of Local Redistricting” and “Local Government Authority: Piecing It Together.”
  • Craven County Board of Commissioners Resolution (2021) – example of a county redistricting resolution citing G.S. 153A-22 and one-person-one-vote requirements.
  • Fair Counties NC – background on local redistricting, consent decrees, and county commission structures in North Carolina.
  • N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) – materials on voting maps, redistricting implementation, county boards of elections, and election types.


Beeman for OC BOCC


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