A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REVISE THE JUDICIAL DIVISIONS; TO CLARIFY LISTING OF JUDICIAL SEATS ON THE BALLOT; AND TO LIMIT ROTATION OF SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES TO SIX MONTHS PER YEAR.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 7A‑41(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	The counties of the State are organized into judicial divisions and superior court districts, and each superior court district has the counties, and the number of regular resident superior court judges set forth in the following table, and for districts of less than a whole county, as set out in subsection (b) of this section:
	Superior
Judicial	Court	No. of Resident
Division	District	Counties	Judges
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––‑
First	1	Camden, Chowan,	2
	Currituck,
	Dare, Gates,
	Pasquotank,
	Perquimans
First	2	Beaufort, Hyde,	1
	Martin,
	Tyrrell, Washington
First	3A	Pitt	2
First	3B	Carteret, Craven,	3
	Pamlico
Second	4A	Duplin, Jones,	1
	Sampson
Second	4B	Onslow	1
Second	5A	(part of New Hanover,	1
	part of Pender
	see subsection (b))
	5B	(part of New Hanover,	1
	part of Pender
	see subsection (b))
	5C	(part of New Hanover,	1
	see subsection (b))
First	6A	Halifax	1
First	6B	Bertie, Hertford,	1
	Northampton
First	7A	Nash	1
First	7B	(part of Wilson,	1
	part of Edgecombe,
	see subsection (b))
First	7C	(part of Wilson,	1
	part of Edgecombe,
	see subsection (b))
First	8A	Lenoir and Greene	1
First	8B	Wayne	1
Third	9	Franklin, Granville,	2
	Person, Vance, Warren
Third	10A	(part of Wake,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	10B	(part of Wake,	2
	see subsection (b))
Third	10C	(part of Wake,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	10D	(part of Wake,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	11A	Harnett,	1
	Lee
Third	11B	Johnston	1
Second	12A	(part of Cumberland,	1
	see subsection (b))
Second	12B	(part of Cumberland,	1
	see subsection (b))
Second	12C	(part of Cumberland,	2
	see subsection (b))
Second	13A	Bladen, Columbus	1
Second	13B	Brunswick	1
Third	14A	(part of Durham,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	14B	(part of Durham,	3
	see subsection (b))
Third	15A	Alamance	2
Third	15B	Orange, Chatham	2
Second	16A	Anson, Richmond,	2
	Scotland, Hoke
Second	16B	Robeson	2
Third	17A	Caswell, Rockingham	3
Fourth	17B	Stokes, Surry	2
Third	18A	(part of Guilford,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	18B	(part of Guilford,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	18C	(part of Guilford,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	18D	(part of Guilford,	1
	see subsection (b))
Third	18E	(part of Guilford,	1
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	19A	Cabarrus	1
Third	19B	Montgomery, Randolph	1
Fourth	19C	Rowan	1
Third	19D	Moore	1
Fourth	20A	Stanly	1
Fourth	20B	Union	2
Fourth	21A	(part of Forsyth,	1
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	21B	(part of Forsyth,	1
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	21C	(part of Forsyth,	1
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	21D	(part of Forsyth,	1
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	22A	Alexander, Iredell	2
Fourth	22B	Davidson, Davie	2
Fourth	23	Alleghany, Ashe,	1
	Wilkes, Yadkin
Fifth	24	Avery, Madison,	2
	Mitchell,
	Watauga, Yancey
Fifth	25A	Burke, Caldwell	2
Fifth	25B	Catawba	2
Fourth	26A	(part of Mecklenburg,	2
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	26B	(part of Mecklenburg,	3
	see subsection (b))
Fourth	26C	(part of Mecklenburg,	2
	see subsection (b))
Fifth	27A	Gaston	2
Fifth	27B	Cleveland, Lincoln	2
Fifth	28	Buncombe	2
Fifth	29A	McDowell,	1
	Rutherford
Fifth	29B	Henderson, Polk,	1
	Transylvania
Fifth	30A	Cherokee, Clay,	1
	Graham, Macon,
	Swain
Fifth	30B	Haywood, Jackson	1."
SECTION 1.(b)  This section becomes effective July 1, 2018.
SECTION 2.  If Senate Bill 757, 2018 Regular Session, becomes law, then Section 1(c) of that act reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 1.(c)  In order to implement the superior court districts as enacted by this section, in 2018 and every eight years thereafter, elections shall be conducted for Districts 5B, 26C, 26E, 26F, and 26H; in 2020 and every eight years thereafter, elections shall be conducted for District 26A; and in 2022 and every eight years thereafter, elections shall be conducted for Districts 26B, 26D, and 26G; and in 2024 and every eight years thereafter, elections shall be conducted for Districts 5A and 5C."
SECTION 3.(a)  G.S. 163A‑1112(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Except as provided in this section, each official ballot shall contain all the following elements:
(1)	The heading prescribed by the State Board. The heading shall include the term "Official Ballot".
(2)	The title of each office to be voted on and the number of votes allowed in each ballot item.
(3)	The names of the candidates as they appear on their notice of candidacy filed pursuant to G.S. 163A‑972, 163A‑973, 163A‑974, 163A‑975, 163A‑976, 163A‑977, and 163A‑978, or on petition forms filed in accordance with G.S. 163A‑1005. No title, appendage, or appellation indicating rank, status, or position shall be printed on the official ballot in connection with the candidate's name. Candidates, however, may use the title Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. Nicknames shall be permitted on an official ballot if used in the notice of candidacy or qualifying petition, but the nickname shall appear according to standards adopted by the State Board. Those standards shall allow the presentation of legitimate nicknames in ways that do not mislead the voter or unduly advertise the candidacy. In the case of candidates for presidential elector, the official ballot shall not contain the names of the candidates for elector but instead shall contain the nominees for President and Vice President which the candidates for elector represent. The State Board shall establish a review procedure that local boards of elections shall follow to ensure that candidates' names appear on the official ballot in accordance with this subdivision.
(4)	Party designations in partisan ballot items.
(5)	A means by which the voter may cast write‑in votes, as provided in G.S. 163A‑1006. No space for write‑ins is required unless a write‑in candidate has qualified under G.S. 163A‑1006 or unless the ballot item is exempt from G.S. 163A‑1006.
(6)	Instructions to voters, unless the State Board allows instructions to be placed elsewhere than on the official ballot.
(7)	The printed title and facsimile signature of the chair of the county board of elections.
(8)	The designation of vacancy sought, for any vacancy for the office of Justice or judge of the courts. The designation shall not be the name or names of any incumbent or other individual but shall be designated as determined by the State Board."
SECTION 3.(b)  G.S. 163A‑975 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163A‑975.  Notice of candidacy for certain offices to indicate vacancy.
In any primary in which there are two or more vacancies for associate justices for the Supreme Court, two or more vacancies for the Court of Appeals, two or more vacancies for superior or district court judge, or two vacancies for United States Senator from North Carolina, each candidate shall, at the time of filing notice of candidacy, file with the State Board a written statement designating the vacancy to which the candidate seeks nomination. The designation shall not be the name or names of any incumbent or other individual but shall be designated as determined by the State Board. A person seeking election for a specialized district judgeship established under G.S. 7A‑147 shall, at the time of filing notice of candidacy, file with the State Board a written statement designating the specialized judgeship to which the person seeks nomination. Votes cast for a candidate shall be effective only for nomination to the vacancy for which the candidate has given notice of candidacy as provided in this section."
SECTION 3.(c)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.
SECTION 4.  G.S. 7A‑47.3 reads as rewritten:
"§ 7A‑47.3.  Rotation and assignment; sessions.
(a)	To effect the intent of Article IV, Section 11 of the North Carolina Constitution, each regular resident superior court judge may, upon each rotation, be assigned to hold the courts either of one of the districts or of one of the sets of districts in that judge's judicial division.
(b)	All sessions of superior court shall be for an entire county, whether that county comprises or is located in a district or in a set of districts and at each session all matters and proceedings arising anywhere in the county shall be heard.
(c)	In making assignment of the judges of the superior court, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall strive to allow each regular resident superior court judge to be assigned to the district or set of districts from which that regular resident superior court judge was elected or appointed no less than one half of the calendar year.
(d)	For purposes of this section, "district or set of districts" shall have the same meaning as in G.S. 7A‑41.1(a)."
SECTION 5.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.