A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to change the candidate filing period for the stanly county board of education, to reduce the size of the stanly county board of education from nine to seven members and provide that all members shall be elected at‑large, to provide for selection of all voting members of the stanly COMMUNITY college by the County Board of COMMISSIONERS, to eliminate partisan appointments from the stanly county board of economic development, and to provide for the appointment of the stanly county board of elections, relating to vacancies in the office of sheriff of stanly county.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding G.S. 163‑106 or anything in the plan of consolidation and merger of the Stanly County and Albemarle City school administrative units, candidates for the Stanly County Board of Education shall file notice of candidacy no earlier than the first Monday in July (except the next business day if the first Monday in July is July 4) and no later than 12:00 noon on the fourth Friday in July preceding the general election.
SECTION 2.(a)  Effective on the first Monday in December of 2012, the Stanly County Board of Education shall consist of seven members elected at‑large.
SECTION 2.(b)  In 2012 and quadrennially thereafter, three members of the Stanly County Board of Education shall be elected at‑large for four‑year terms. In 2014 and quadrennially thereafter, four members of the Stanly County Board of Education shall be elected at‑large for four‑year terms.
SECTION 3.(a)  G.S. 115D‑12 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115D‑12.  Each institution to have board of trustees; selection of trustees.
(a)	Each community college established or operated pursuant to this Chapter shall be governed by a board of trustees consisting of 13 members, or of additional members if selected according to the special procedure prescribed by the third paragraph of this subsection, who shall be selected by the following agencies. No member of the General Assembly may be appointed to a local board of trustees for a community college.
Group One – 12 trustees, elected by the board of commissioners of the county in which the institution is located. Provided, however, if the administrative area of the institution is composed of two or more counties, the trustees shall be elected jointly by the boards of commissioners of all those counties, each board having one vote in the election of each trustee. Provided, also, the county commissioners of the county in which the community college has established a satellite campus may elect an additional two members if the board of trustees of the community college agrees. No more than one trustee from Group One may be a member of a board of county commissioners. Should the boards of education or the boards of commissioners involved be unable to agree on one or more trustees the senior resident superior court judge in the superior court district or set of districts as defined in G.S. 7A‑41.1 where the institution is located shall fill the position or positions by appointment.
Group Two – the president of the student government or the chairman of the executive board of the student body of each community college established pursuant to G.S. 115D shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the board of trustees of each said institution.
(b)	All trustees shall be residents of the administrative area of the institution for which they are selected or of counties contiguous thereto with the exception of members provided for in G.S. 115D‑12(a), Group Two.
…."
SECTION 3.(b)  This section applies only to Stanly Community College.
SECTION 4.(a)  Section 2 of Chapter 141, Session Laws of 1961, as amended by Chapter 355, Session Laws of 1975, and Chapter 237, Session Laws of 1985, and Chapter 185, Session Laws of 1987, and Chapter 253, Session Laws of 2009, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 2. Such commission shall be composed of 12 members to be appointed by the Board of County Commissioners for Stanly County. In making said appointments the board shall seek to achieve representation from the various geographic areas of the county. In the event a vacancy occurs in the membership of such commission because of death, resignation, or otherwise, the board of county commissioners shall fill such vacancy by appointing a member from the same section of the county as his predecessor. There is hereby imposed on such member of the board of county commissioners as said board may designate the duty to serve as chairman of the Economic Development Commission and such commissioner, acting as chairman, shall be entitled to vote only in case of a tie. The county board of commissioners shall designate another member of said board as an alternate member to attend and vote if the original appointee as chairman is unable to attend or is unable to vote."
SECTION 4.(b)  Section 3 of Chapter 141, Session Laws of 1961, as amended by Chapter 355, Session Laws of 1975, and Chapter 928, Session Laws of 1987, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 3. The terms of office of the members of the commission, with the exception of the chairman of the commission, shall be two years, with the exception of the initial years existence of the commission, in which one‑half shall be appointed to serve for a period of one year. In appointing the initial members of the commission, the board of county commissioners shall designate those who are appointed for a period of two years and those who are appointed for a period of one year. Upon the expiration of the term of office of those members who are appointed for one year, the board of commissioners shall appoint their successors for a term of two years. All appointees shall serve until their successors have been appointed and qualified. Any member shall be eligible to reappointment. The board of commissioners shall designate the date on which the term of office of the initial members shall commence. For clarification, two members from the following areas (voting precincts) of Stanly County are to be appointed by the Board of Commissioners: North (Almond, Ridenhour, Richfield, New London, and North Albemarle); South (East Center, West Center, Tyson, and Big Lick #1); East (South Albemarle, East Albemarle, Badin, and Palmerville); West (Furr #1, Furr #2, Big Lick #2, and Endy); Central (Albemarle #1, Albemarle #2, Albermarle #6, Albemarle #7, Albemarle #8, Albemarle #10, and Albemarle #11); and two seats at large."
SECTION 5.(a)  This section applies to Stanly County only.
SECTION 5.(b)  G.S. 163‑30 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163‑30.  County boards of elections; appointments; terms of office; qualifications; vacancies; oath of office; instructional meetings.
In every county of the State there shall be a county board of elections, to consist of three persons of good moral character who are registered voters in the county in which they are to act. Members of county boards of elections shall be appointed by the State Board of Elections on the last Tuesday in June 1985, and every two years thereafter, and their terms of office shall continue for two years from the specified date of appointment and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Not more than two members of the county board of elections shall belong to the same political party.
No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of a county board of elections who holds any elective office under the government of the United States, or of the State of North Carolina or any political subdivision thereof.
No person who holds any office in a state, congressional district, county or precinct political party or organization, or who is a campaign manager or treasurer of any candidate or political party in a primary or election, shall be eligible to serve as a member of a county board of elections, provided however that the position of delegate to a political party convention shall not be considered an office for the purpose of this section.
No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of a county board of elections who is a candidate for nomination or election.
No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of a county board of elections who is the wife, husband, son, son‑in‑law, daughter, daughter‑in‑law, mother, mother‑in‑law, father, father‑in‑law, sister, sister‑in‑law, brother, brother‑in‑law, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew of any candidate for nomination or election. Upon any member of the board of elections becoming ineligible, that member's seat shall be declared vacant. This paragraph only applies if the county board of elections is conducting the election for which the relative is a candidate.
The county chairman of each political party shall have the right to recommend to the State Board of Elections three registered voters in each county for appointment to the board of elections for that county. If such recommendations are received by the Board 15 or more days before the last Tuesday in June 1985, and each two years thereafter, it shall be the duty of the State Board of Elections to appoint the county boards from the names thus  recommended as follows: two from the list of three submitted by the political party having the greatest number of registered voters in the county and one from the list of three submitted by the political party having the second greatest number of registered voters in the county.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the membership of a county board of elections for any cause the county chairman of the political party of the vacating member shall have the right to recommend two registered voters of the affected county for such office, and it shall be the duty of the State Board of Elections to fill the vacancy from the names thus recommended.
At the meeting of the county board of elections required by G.S. 163‑31 to be held on Tuesday following the third Monday in July in the year of their appointment the members shall take the following oath of office:
"I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States; that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of North Carolina and to the constitutional powers and authorities which are or may be established for the government thereof; that I will endeavor to support, maintain and defend the Constitution of said State, not inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States; and that I will well and truly execute the duties of the office of member of the __________ County Board of Elections to the best of my knowledge and ability, according to law; so help me God."
Each member of the county board of elections shall attend each instructional meeting held pursuant to G.S. 163‑46, unless excused for good cause by the chairman of the board, and shall be paid the sum of twenty‑five dollars ($25.00) per day for attending each of those meetings."
SECTION 5.1.(a)  G.S. 162‑5.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 162‑5.1.  Vacancy filled in certain counties; duties performed by coroner or chief deputy.
If any vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the coroner of the county shall execute all process directed to the sheriff until the board shall elect a sheriff to supply the vacancy for the residue of the term, who shall possess the same qualifications, enter into the same bond, and be subject to removal, as the sheriff regularly elected. If the sheriff were elected as a nominee of a political party, the board of commissioners shall consult the county executive committee of that political party before filling the vacancy, and shall elect the person recommended by the county executive committee of that party, if the party makes a recommendation within 30 days of the occurrence of the vacancy. If the board should fail to fill such vacancy, the coroner shall continue to discharge the duties of sheriff until it shall be filled.
In those counties where the office of coroner has been abolished, the chief deputy sheriff, or if there is no chief deputy, then the senior deputy in years of service, shall perform all the duties of the sheriff until the county commissioners appoint some person to fill the unexpired term. In all counties the regular deputy sheriffs shall, during the interim of the vacancy, continue to perform their duties with full authority.
This section shall apply only in the following counties: Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Avery, Beaufort, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Carteret, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Guilford, Haywood, Henderson, Hyde, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rutherford, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Transylvania, Wake, and Yancey."
SECTION 5.1.(b)  Vacancies in the office of Sheriff of Stanly County shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 162‑5.
SECTION 6.  This act is effective when it becomes law.