AN ACT to allow the state of north carolina to continue participation in the 2020 voting district verification project with the united states bureau of the census and to establish a process to review precinct lines in advance of the 2030 census.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 163A‑1065 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163A‑1065.  Participation in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program of the United States Census Bureau.
(a)	Participation. – The State of North Carolina shall participate in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program, conducted pursuant to P.L. 94‑171, of the United States Bureau of the Census, so that the State will receive 2020 Census data by voting districts.
(b)	Reporting of Voting Districts. – The Legislative Services Officer shall report to the Bureau of the Census this State's voting precincts, which shall be based upon the 2010 Census block boundaries, to be used in developing the geography for the 2020 Census as voting districts. The Executive Director shall approve and the Legislative Services Officer shall submit the report to the Bureau of the Census in time to comply with the deadlines of that Bureau for the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program. The Legislative Services Officer shall participate in the Bureau of the Census's verification program and notify the Bureau of the Census of any errors in the entry of the voting districts in time for those errors to be corrected.
(c)	Additional Rules. – The Legislative Services Officer shall provide a copy of the submission required by subsection (b) of this section to the Executive Director and to the chair of each political party recognized under G.S. 163A-950. The Legislative Services Officer shall also, at the time of the report to Bureau of the Census, post the report on the Web site of the General Assembly."
SECTION 2.  Section 7(c) of S.L. 2016‑109 is repealed.
SECTION 3.  Section 7(d) of S.L. 2016‑109 reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 7.(d)  On or before July 1, 2019, the Executive Director of the State Board of Elections shall provide each county board of elections with a copy of the submission provided in accordance with G.S. 163A‑1065 with respect to that county. The county boards of election, shall, on or before October 1, 2019, report to the Executive Director of the State Board of Elections and the Legislative Services Officer any requested changes in the precinct boundaries reported to the Bureau of the Census for the Phase 2 Voting District Project. Upon receipt of the responses from the county boards of elections regarding the voting districts geography for the 2020 Census, the Legislative Services Officer, in conjunction with the Executive Director of the State Board, shall determine if any alterations to the precinct boundaries are needed."
SECTION 4.(a)  G.S. 163A‑1071 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163A‑1071.  Alterations to approved precinct boundaries.
(a)	No county board of elections may change any precinct boundary unless approved by the Executive Director of the State Board.
(b)	To be used by the Executive Director and the county boards of elections in changing precinct boundaries in accordance with this section, the State Board shall set uniform standards for precinct boundaries that the county boards of elections shall follow. Any uniform standards for precinct boundaries set by the State Board shall comply with all of the following:
(1)	Precinct boundaries shall coincide with Census block boundaries, as set forth in the TIGER/Line Shapefiles associated with the most recent federal decennial census.
(2)	Precincts shall consist solely of contiguous territory.
(3)	Precincts shall consist of territory and population that allows for efficient and accurate administration of elections, taking into consideration available polling places and access to polling places.
(4)	The county shall be able to reallocate any out of precinct ballots cast by a voter to the precinct associated with that voter's voter registration for purposes of reporting the results of an election.
(c)	The county board of elections shall report every change in precinct boundary to the Executive Director in a format required by the Executive Director.
No newly created or altered precinct boundary is effective until approved by the Executive Director as being in compliance with this section.
(d)	The Executive Director shall examine the maps of the proposed new or altered precincts and any required written descriptions. If the Executive Director determines that all precinct boundaries are in compliance with this section, the Executive Director shall approve the maps and written descriptions as filed and these precincts shall be the official precincts for voting.
(e)	If the Executive Director determines that the proposed precinct boundaries are not in compliance with subsection (b) of this section, the Executive Director shall not approve those proposed precinct boundaries. The Executive Director shall notify the county board of elections of the disapproval specifying the reasons. The county board of elections may then resubmit new proposed precinct maps and written descriptions to cure the reasons for the disapproval."
SECTION 4.(b)  This section becomes effective January 1, 2020.
SECTION 5.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 28th day of May, 2019.

	s/	 Philip E. Berger
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

	s/	 Tim Moore
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	_____________________________________
		 Roy Cooper
	 Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2019