GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1991 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 293

SENATE BILL 139

 

AN ACT TO ALLOW BESSEMER CITY TO REDISTRICT ITS RESIDENCY WARDS TO THE EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS, SO AS TO ALLOW MAXIMIZATION OF MINORITY VOTING STRENGTH.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  G.S. 160A-101(6) reads as rewritten:

"(6)      Mode of election of the council:

a.         All candidates shall be nominated and elected by all the qualified voters of the city.

b.         The city shall be divided into single-member electoral districts; council members shall be apportioned to the districts so that each member represents the same number of persons as nearly as possible, except for members apportioned to the city at large, if any; the qualified voters of each district shall nominate and elect candidates who reside in the district for seats apportioned to that district; and all the qualified voters of the city shall nominate and elect candidates apportioned to the city at large, if any.

c.         The city shall be divided into single-member electoral districts; council members shall be apportioned to the districts so that each member represents the same number of persons as nearly as possibleto no less an extent than required by the Constitution of the United States and any applicable federal law, except for members apportioned to the city at large; and candidates shall reside in and represent the districts according to the apportionment plan adopted, but all candidates shall be nominated and elected by all the qualified voters of the city.

d.         The city shall be divided into electoral districts equal in number to one half the number of council seats; the council seats shall be divided equally into 'ward seats' and 'at-large seats,' one each of which shall be apportioned to each district, so that each council member represents the same number of persons as nearly as possible; the qualified voters of each district shall nominate and elect candidates to the 'ward seats'; candidates for the 'at-large seats' shall reside in and represent the districts according to the apportionment plan adopted, but all candidates for 'at-large' seats shall be nominated and elected by all the qualified voters of the city.

e.         The city shall be divided into single-member electoral districts; council members shall be apportioned to the districts so that each member represents the same number of persons as nearly as possible, except for members apportioned to the city at large, if any; in a nonpartisan primary, the qualified voters of each district shall nominate two candidates who reside in the district, and the qualified voters of the entire city shall nominate two candidates for each seat apportioned to the city at large, if any; and all candidates shall be elected by all the qualified voters of the city.

                             If either of options b, c, d or e is adopted, the council shall divide the city into the requisite number of single-member electoral districts according to the apportionment plan adopted, and shall cause a map of the districts so laid out to be drawn up and filed as provided by G.S. 160A-22 and 160A-23. No more than one half of the council may be apportioned to the city at large. An initiative petition may specify the number of single-member electoral districts to be laid out, but the drawing of district boundaries and apportionment of members to the districts shall be done in all cases by the council."

Sec. 2.  This act applies to the City of Bessemer City only.

Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 17th day of June, 1991.

 

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James C. Gardner

President of the Senate

 

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Daniel Blue, Jr.

Speaker of the House of Representatives