Thirty-five cities and two school boards in North Carolina could have to push back their elections for a year as the state waits for numbers from the 2020 census.
Counties use population data from the census, collected every 10 years, to redraw electoral districts. The U.S. Census Bureau had planned to release the redistricting data by the end of March, but said it could be as late as September 30 because of delays from the coronavirus pandemic.
A bill delaying local elections passed in the North Carolina Senate with a vote of 47-33. Seven Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill and send it to the governor.
The state House approved the bill last week with a vote of 107–0. The Senate had already passed a version of the bill, but the vote Monday night to approve the changes made in the House.
The elections facing delays include Raleigh’s city council and mayor. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and the Lexington City Board of Education elections would also be delayed a year.
The bill includes a section that would permanently move Raleigh’s election to November in 11 years. Other municipalities and school boards would go back to odd-year elections in 2023. But there have been several moves in the North Carolina General Assembly to move odd-year elections to even years.
A change in the House bill would allow cities to still hold elections for at-large seats and mayors, which are elected by the entire city and not just one district.
The other municipalities with elections this year can go ahead as planned because they don’t use districts to elect representatives.
Council and board members in the 35 cities and towns will serve an additional year until new elections are held.
According to the UNC School of Government, the cities facing possible election delays are:
- Ahoskie
- Cary
- Charlotte
- Clinton
- Edenton
- Elizabeth City
- Enfield
- Erwin
- Fayetteville
- Greensboro
- Greenville
- Henderson
- Hickory
- Jacksonville
- Kings Mountain
- Lake Waccamaw
- Laurinburg
- Lexington
- Longview
- Lumberton
- Mooresville
- Mt. Olive
- New Bern
- Plymouth
- Princeville
- Raleigh
- Roanoke Rapids
- Rocky Mount
- Sanford
- St. Pauls
- Siler City
- Smithfield
- Statesville
- Tarboro
- Whiteville
- Wilson