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AL 3 <br />DOES EVERY COUNTY COMMISSIONER RACE <br />IN NORTH CAROLINA HAVE TO BE PARTISAN? <br />The short answer to this question is that every county commissioner race in North <br />Carolina does not have to be partisan. The General Assembly can, by local act, authorize a <br />county commissioner election system that is non partisan. However, every county commissioner <br />election system in North Carolina is partisan „ N.C. Gen, Stat. § 163 -1 sets the time of regular and <br />primary elections by reference to a tabulation. That tabulation includes county commissioners. <br />The tabulation also includes district attorneys, members of the House of Representatives of the <br />United States Congress, United States Senators, members of the General Assembly, the <br />Governor, members of the Council of State, Clerks of Superior Court, Registers of Deeds, <br />Sheriffs and "all other county officers to be elected by the people.” Each of the offices in this <br />tabulation is a partisan one Also on this point; the statute prescribing optional structures of <br />boards of commissioners, N.C_, Gen. Stat. § I S3A -58, describes the options in terms of board <br />members being nominated [by a political party) and elected by the voters of the county, <br />Absent from this tabulation are boards of education and city and town elected officials. <br />As you know, many city and town elected officials and boards of education are non partisan. <br />Isg: F: \Lisa \orangecounty \Response to questions raised at May 5 BOCC mtg.doe <br />