NC
North Carolina House Bill H271

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H271 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 271
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH10072-LUe-9A
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Partisan Elections/Muni./Cabarrus Co. (Local)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Echevarria, Campbell, and Almond (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Election Law, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11-March 5, 2025
12-*H271 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Echevarria.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH10072 -LUe-9A*
1313 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1414 AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT REGULAR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS FOR 2
1515 MUNICIPALITIES IN CABARRUS COUNTY SHALL BE CONDUCTED ON A 3
1616 PARTISAN BASIS AND TO PROVIDE THAT ONLY VOTERS RESIDING IN THE 4
1717 DISTRICT THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER REPRESENTS SHALL VOTE FOR THAT 5
1818 MEMBER IN THE CITY OF CONCORD . 6
1919 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
2020 SECTION 1.(a) Section 3.1 of the Charter of the City of Concord, being Chapter 8
2121 861 of the 1985 Session Laws, as amended by Ordinance No. 1995-02-09, adopted February 9, 9
2222 1995, and Ordinance No. 96-105, adopted November 14, 1996, reads as rewritten: 10
2323 "Sec. 3.1. Regular municipal elections; conduct and method of election. Pursuant to G.S. 11
2424 160A-101, the Charter of the City of Concord, as set forth in Chapter 861 of the 1985 Session 12
2525 Laws of North Carolina, as amended, is hereby further amended to implement nonpartisan 13
2626 plurality for elections (G.S. 163-292) of the City Board of Aldermen [city council].Beginning in 14
2727 2025, regular municipal elections shall be held in the city every odd-numbered year and shall be 15
2828 conducted in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws of North Carolina. The Mayor 16
2929 and the City Council shall be elected according to the partisan election method, as provided in 17
3030 G.S. 163-291. In 2025, and quadrennially thereafter, the Mayor and three council members, who 18
3131 shall represent Districts 3, 4, and 5, shall be nominated and elected for four-year terms. In 2027, 19
3232 and quadrennially thereafter, four council members, who shall represent Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7, 20
3333 shall be nominated and elected for four-year terms." 21
3434 SECTION 1.(b) Section 3.2 of the Charter of the City of Concord, being Chapter 22
3535 861 of the 1985 Session Laws, as amended by Ordinance No. 96-105, adopted November 14, 23
3636 1996, and Ordinance No. 02-11, adopted April 11, 2002, reads as rewritten: 24
3737 "Sec. 3.2. Election of the Mayor and City Council. (a) The Mayor shall be nominated and 25
3838 elected by all the voters of the city voting at large. 26
3939 (b) The City Council shall consist of seven members serving staggered four-year terms and 27
4040 each member shall reside in and represent a district of the city but shall be nominated and elected 28
4141 by all the voters of the city voting at large.city. Only the qualified voters residing in that district 29
4242 may vote for the member from that district." 30
4343 SECTION 2. Section 4.1 of the Charter of the Town of Harrisburg, being Chapter 31
4444 111 of the 1973 Session Laws, as amended by Town Ordinance adopted on July 13, 2015, reads 32
4545 as rewritten: 33
4646 "Sec. 4.1. Regular Municipal Elections. Regular municipal elections shall be held on the 34
47-Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each odd-numbered year, beginning in 1973. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 House Bill 271-First Edition
49-Council members hall be elected on a nonpartisan basis and the results determined by plurality, 1
50-as approved in the North Carolina General Statutes.Town officers shall be elected according to 2
51-the partisan election method, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 3
52-SECTION 3. Section 4-1 of the Charter of the City of Kannapolis, as adopted by the 4
53-Kannapolis Charter Commission on December 11, 1984, pursuant to Chapter 191 of the 1983 5
54-Session Laws, reads as rewritten: 6
55-"Sec. 4-1. Conduct of city elections. City officers shall be elected on a non-partisan basis 7
56-and the results determined by plurality, as provided in the North Carolina General Statutes, 8
57-Chapter 163, Section 292.partisan basis, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 9
58-SECTION 4. Section 4.1 of the Charter of the Town of Midland, being S.L. 2000-91, 10
59-reads as rewritten: 11
60-"Section 4.1. Conduct of Town Elections. Regular municipal elections shall be held in each 12
61-odd-numbered year in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws of North Carolina. 13
62-Elections shall be conducted on a nonpartisan basis and results determined by a plurality as 14
63-provided in G.S. 163-292.partisan basis, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 15
64-SECTION 5. Section C-3.2 of the Charter of the Town of Mount Pleasant, being 16
65-Chapter 77 of the Private Laws of 1883, as amended by Town Ordinance adopted on February 17
66-11, 2019, reads as rewritten: 18
67-"Section C-3.2. Manner of Election; Term of Office The qualified voters of the entire Town 19
68-shall elect the Mayor and members of the Town Board of Commissioners that shall serve 20
69-staggered four (4) year terms. Nonpartisan plurality elections Elections shall take place every 21
70-two years, in odd-numbered years, with three commissioners being elected during one election 22
71-cycle, and two commissioners and the Mayor during the next election cycle, and so on. Town 23
72-officers shall be elected according to the partisan election method, as provided in G.S. 163-291. 24
73-Absentee ballots are permitted pursuant to Board of Elections requirements. The present Mayor, 25
74-Commissioners and other officers of Mount Pleasant shall hold said offices with all the powers, 26
75-privileges, rights and responsibilities which this charter and the former charter conferred until 27
76-their successors are elected or appointed and qualified." 28
77-SECTION 6. This act shall have the effect of repealing any conflicting provisions 29
78-of local or special acts or conflicting local ordinances relating to the nonpartisan municipal 30
79-elections for any municipalities covered by this act. This act shall not affect the filling of a 31
80-vacancy in a municipal election that occurs for a seat elected prior to the effective date of this 32
81-act. 33
82-SECTION 7. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law 34
83-and applies to elections held in 2025 and thereafter. 35
47+Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each odd-numbered year, beginning in 1973. 35
48+Council members hall be elected on a nonpartisan basis and the results determined by plurality, 36
49+H.B. 271
50+Mar 3, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH10072-LUe-9A
53+as approved in the North Carolina General Statutes.Town officers shall be elected according to 1
54+the partisan election method, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 2
55+SECTION 3. Section 4-1 of the Charter of the City of Kannapolis, as adopted by the 3
56+Kannapolis Charter Commission on December 11, 1984, pursuant to Chapter 191 of the 1983 4
57+Session Laws, reads as rewritten: 5
58+"Sec. 4-1. Conduct of city elections. City officers shall be elected on a non-partisan basis 6
59+and the results determined by plurality, as provided in the North Carolina General Statutes, 7
60+Chapter 163, Section 292.partisan basis, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 8
61+SECTION 4. Section 4.1 of the Charter of the Town of Midland, being S.L. 2000-91, 9
62+reads as rewritten: 10
63+"Section 4.1. Conduct of Town Elections. Regular municipal elections shall be held in each 11
64+odd-numbered year in accordance with the uniform municipal election laws of North Carolina. 12
65+Elections shall be conducted on a nonpartisan basis and results determined by a plurality as 13
66+provided in G.S. 163-292.partisan basis, as provided in G.S. 163-291." 14
67+SECTION 5. Section C-3.2 of the Charter of the Town of Mount Pleasant, being 15
68+Chapter 77 of the Private Laws of 1883, as amended by Town Ordinance adopted on February 16
69+11, 2019, reads as rewritten: 17
70+"Section C-3.2. Manner of Election; Term of Office The qualified voters of the entire Town 18
71+shall elect the Mayor and members of the Town Board of Commissioners that shall serve 19
72+staggered four (4) year terms. Nonpartisan plurality elections Elections shall take place every 20
73+two years, in odd-numbered years, with three commissioners being elected during one election 21
74+cycle, and two commissioners and the Mayor during the next election cycle, and so on. Town 22
75+officers shall be elected according to the partisan election method, as provided in G.S. 163-291. 23
76+Absentee ballots are permitted pursuant to Board of Elections requirements. The present Mayor, 24
77+Commissioners and other officers of Mount Pleasant shall hold said offices with all the powers, 25
78+privileges, rights and responsibilities which this charter and the former charter conferred until 26
79+their successors are elected or appointed and qualified." 27
80+SECTION 6. This act shall have the effect of repealing any conflicting provisions 28
81+of local or special acts or conflicting local ordinances relating to the nonpartisan municipal 29
82+elections for any municipalities covered by this act. This act shall not affect the filling of a 30
83+vacancy in a municipal election that occurs for a seat elected prior to the effective date of this 31
84+act. 32
85+SECTION 7. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law 33
86+and applies to elections held in 2025 and thereafter. 34