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18 <br /> REPORT SUMMARY <br /> In February 2021, the Orange County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) appointed <br /> fifteen (15) individuals to serve on the BOCC Elections Advisory Group (BEAG). <br /> The BEAG's Charge included reviewing, researching, and evaluating the current <br /> method of electing commissioners, as well as any alternative electoral methods or <br /> models, including but not limited to single member districts, aligning primary and <br /> general election methods, multi-seat elections, and the number of commissioners. <br /> The Group met over the past six months with the assistance of a facilitator, Retired <br /> District Court Judge Jay Bryan. During that period, the Group reviewed information <br /> regarding Orange County demographics, urban and rural population, changes since <br /> the 2010 Census, areas experiencing or expected to experience significant <br /> population growth, presentations by Dr. Rebecca Tippett with the UNC Population <br /> Center and Professor Robert Joyce with the UNC School of Government,population <br /> information broken down by precinct, and recently-approved and proposed <br /> large/planned developments in the County. The Group discussed the strengths and <br /> concerns regarding the current method of electing members of the Board of <br /> Commissioners. The Group also conducted a survey soliciting public input on the <br /> current method as well as potential alternative methods for electing members of the <br /> Board of Commissioners. Following review and discussion of the information <br /> gathered as well as the results from the public survey, Group members determined <br /> the following recommendations: <br /> • The current system of mixing multiple representative and at-large districts, <br /> where people vote in the primaries in districts, and the whole county votes in <br /> the general election, is unsatisfactory and not acceptable; <br /> • The recommended method is seven single member residency districts <br /> requiring that candidates living in a district would be voted on in the primary <br /> and general election by voters living in the district only; <br /> • A multi-partisan, independent advisory group and process should be formed <br /> by the Board of Commissioners to create the seven single member districts <br /> based on the criteria in the Board of Commissioners' Charge and to make <br /> every effort to keep communities of interest together and avoid splitting <br /> precincts; <br /> • The Board of Commissioners should hold a series of public hearings and <br /> listening sessions to allow public input in advance of a public referendum on <br /> any proposed election plan/method. <br /> 2 <br />