Orange County NC Website
2 <br /> The Board then pursued a series of meetings over the next thirteen months, including public <br /> hearings, Board discussions on possible draft district maps/plans for either a five or seven- <br /> member Board, and decisions on specific map/plan issues. <br /> The public hearings and discussions led to the development of a map/plan (identified in 2006 as <br /> "Proposal D") for a seven-member board that met all statutory requirements. The County <br /> Attorney prepared a draft resolution calling for a November 2006 referendum in concert with <br /> "Proposal D", and the Board approved that resolution and the election plan/map at its June 27, <br /> 2006 regular meeting in preparation for a voter referendum as required by the North Carolina <br /> General Statutes. The approved resolution and election map/plan are provided at Attachment <br /> A. The population deviations for the approved 2006 map/plan, based on the 2000 Census, are <br /> provided at Attachment B. <br /> In the November 2006 referendum, the voters subsequently approved the election plan/map <br /> with more than two-thirds supporting the initiative. The election plan/map was implemented with <br /> the May 2008 primary election and all seven members of the current Board have since qualified <br /> and been elected under the plan. <br /> The election plan/map approved in 2006 established a district/at large system for electing seven <br /> members of the Board of Commissioners, and includes two nominating districts. <br /> • Three seats on the Board are filled, with staggered four-year terms, by individuals <br /> residing in District 1 and nominated by the voters in District 1 during the primary election. <br /> These district-nominated candidates are then elected by all the voters in the entire <br /> County during the general election. <br /> • Two seats on the Board are filled, with staggered four-year terms, by individuals residing <br /> in District 2 and nominated by the voters in District 2 during the primary election. These <br /> district-nominated candidates are then elected by all the voters in the entire County <br /> during the general election. <br /> • The other two other seats on the Board are filled, with staggered four-year terms, by <br /> individuals residing anywhere in the County and nominated by all voters in the County <br /> during the primary election. These "at large" candidates are then elected by all the <br /> voters in the entire County during the general election. <br /> In summary, five district seats on the Board are filled based on district residency and district <br /> nomination during the primary election, followed by countywide election in the general election. <br /> The two at large seats are filled based on countywide nomination and countywide election. <br /> REVIEW OF DISTRICT ELECTIONS MAP BASED ON 2010 CENSUS <br /> Final numbers for the 2010 Census were published in 2011 providing new population numbers <br /> for Orange County as a whole as well as for the two current electoral districts. North Carolina <br /> General Statute 153A-22 states, "If a county is divided into electoral districts for the purpose of <br /> nominating or electing persons to the board of commissioners, the board of commissioners may <br /> find as a fact whether there is substantial inequality of population among the districts." <br /> Population growth or decline in districts can lead to significant deviations in the numbers of <br /> residents between districts, thereby compromising the integrity of the districts and the election <br /> plan as a whole. Therefore the Board may, but is not required to, review the impact of the new <br /> Census numbers to determine if there is substantial inequality. <br />