A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to stagger the terms of the MEMBERS OF THE Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education AND TO PROVIDE FOR EVEN‑YEAR ELECTIONS IN THE TOWN OF RURAL HALL.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Section 2(a)(5)(i) of Chapter 112 of the 1961 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"(i)	The Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education shall be composed of nine members who shall continue in office (regardless of the term for which they were originally appointed) until their successors are elected and qualified, as hereinafter provided."
SECTION 1.(b)  Section 2(a)(5)(ii) of Chapter 112 of the 1961 Session Laws, as rewritten by Chapter 466 of the 1985 Session Laws, and as amended by Chapter 696 of the 1991 Session Laws, S.L. 2009‑72, and S.L. 2011‑141, reads as rewritten:
"(ii)	Members of the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education shall serve staggered four‑year terms. Members shall be elected as follows:

(1)	Two members shall be elected from District 1.
(2)	Four members shall be elected from District 2.
(3)	Three members shall be elected at‑large from all of Forsyth County.

For an at‑large seat, any qualified voter of Forsyth County is eligible to vote. For the district seats, only qualified voters of the district shall be eligible to be candidates and only qualified voters of the district shall be eligible to vote.
The districts are subject to change under G.S. 115C‑37(i)."
SECTION 1.(c)  To implement the staggering of terms, beginning in 2026, all candidates shall be elected and serve as follows:
(1)	Two candidates shall be elected from District 1. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a four‑year term, and that seat shall be up for election in 2030 and every four years thereafter. The candidate receiving the second highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a two‑year term, and that seat shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter.
(2)	Four candidates shall be elected from District 2. The two candidates receiving the highest and second highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a four‑year term, and those seats shall be up for election in 2030 and every four years thereafter. The candidates receiving the third and fourth highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a two‑year term, and those seats shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter.
(3)	Three candidates shall be elected from the county at large. The candidates receiving the highest and second highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a four‑year term, and those seats shall be up for election in 2030 and every four years thereafter. The candidate receiving the third highest number of votes for those seats shall serve a two‑year term, and that seat shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter.
SECTION 1.(d)  This section does not affect the terms of office of any person elected in 2022 to the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. Each member of the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education elected in 2022, or any member appointed to fill a vacancy for a member elected in 2022, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified.
SECTION 1.(e)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held in 2026 and thereafter.
SECTION 2.(a)  Section 3 of Chapter 1100 of the 1973 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 3. The Town shall operate under the mayor‑council form of government. The officers of the Town shall consist of a mayor and four council members to be elected to staggered terms as hereinafter provided. The mayor and council members shall be elected for terms of four years."
SECTION 2.(b)  Section 4 of Chapter 1100 of the 1973 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 4. The elections for municipal officers in the Town of Rural Hall shall be conducted using the nonpartisan primary and election method and the results determined in accordance with G.S. 163‑294. The elections shall be held and conducted by the Forsyth County Board of Elections, and except as otherwise provided herein, shall be held and conducted in accordance with Chapter 163 of the General Statutes."
SECTION 2.(c)  Section 5 of Chapter 1100 of the 1973 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 5. A regular municipal election shall be held in the Town of Rural Hall at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. Candidates for election shall be nominated at the same time and manner as county officers. Vacancies occurring for any reason in the council shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the remaining members of the council. A vacancy in the office of mayor shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the council."
SECTION 2.(d)  In the 2023 municipal election, the mayor and two council members shall be elected to serve three‑year terms. In the 2025 municipal election, two council members shall be elected to serve three‑year terms.
SECTION 2.(e)  Regular municipal elections shall be conducted in the Town of Rural Hall in even‑numbered years beginning in 2026. In 2026 and every four years thereafter, the mayor and two council members shall be elected to serve four‑year terms. In 2028 and every four years thereafter, two council members shall be elected to serve four‑year terms.
SECTION 2.(f)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.
SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.