Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
16 <br /> Attachment C is a map showing the current electoral districts along with the population <br /> numbers based on the 2010 census. In the 2006 adopted plan (Attachments A and B), Orange <br /> County met its goal of keeping the population deviations within five percent of the exact <br /> population totals for each district, less than a total of ten percent deviation (referred to <br /> nationally as the Ten Percent Rule). Attachment C shows that Districts 1 and 2 were still within <br /> the Ten Percent Rule deviation criteria based on the 2010 Census data. Since the Districts <br /> were, combined, within the ten percent deviation allowed by law, there can be no finding of <br /> substantial inequality. <br /> Attachment D is the resolution adopted by the Board on June 2011 acknowledging there is no <br /> substantial inequality revealed by the 2010 census results. <br /> In recent months members of the Board of Commissioners have expressed an interest in <br /> discussing and possibly amending the current election method for seats on the Board of <br /> Commissioners. Several related issues have been voiced regarding potentially amending the <br /> method. Staff has addressed some of those topics below. <br /> If the Board chose to move forward with proposing an amendment to the current election <br /> method, when could voter referendum occur? <br /> • The North Carolina General Statutes require that counties schedule special voter <br /> referenda only in even years when all the voting precincts in the County will be open. <br /> Therefore, a special voter referendum on the election method cannot occur in 2017 <br /> with the possible exception of a legislative act authorizing the referendum in 2017. <br /> Without legislative intervention the next potential dates for a special referendum are <br /> May 2018 or November 2018 when a countywide election with all precincts open is <br /> already scheduled. <br /> Do other North Carolina counties use an election method similar to Orange County's <br /> current method? <br /> • Attachment E is a chart from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners <br /> (NCACC) which details the current election method for all 100 North Carolina counties. <br /> The chart initially indicates that Currituck, Pamlico, and Pasquotank counties share the <br /> same election method as Orange County. However, further investigation by County <br /> staff confirms that while all four counties have seven (7) Commissioner seats and all <br /> four counties have Commissioner seats representing districts, there are variations in <br /> the election methods for the district seats that differentiate the counties. <br /> Orange County's current election method entails five district seats on the Board that are <br /> filled based on district residency and district nomination during the primary election, <br /> followed by countywide election in the general election. Conversely, Currituck County's <br /> five Commissioner seats representing five districts are for residency purposes only. <br /> Candidates for district seats in Currituck must reside in their respective districts, but <br /> they are nominated/voted on in the primary and elected during the general election by <br /> all voters in all precincts in Currituck County. Currituck County's two at large seats are <br /> filled based on countywide nomination and countywide election. <br /> An additional variation applies in Pamlico County. The five district Commissioner seats <br /> representing five districts for the Pamlico County Board of Commissioners are for <br /> residency, nomination, and election. Candidates for district seats must reside in their <br />