A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide for partisan elections for the members of the catawba county board of education, hickory city board of education, newton‑conover city board of education, and pamlico county board of education.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Section 1 of Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 170 of the 1985 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Section 1.  The Catawba County Board of Education shall consist of seven members 

	

elected to staggered four‑year terms."
SECTION 1.(b)  Section 2 of Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 170 of the 1985 Session Laws and Chapter 132 of the 1995 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 2. All members shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified. Seats on the Catawba County Board of Education shall be filled by nomination in the primaries and by election in the general elections according to the procedure set forth in this Act."
SECTION 1.(c)  Section 3 of Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 382 of the 1979 Session Laws and Chapter 132 of the 1995 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 3. All persons desiring to be candidates for membership on the Catawba County Board of Education shall file a notice of candidacy with the Board of Elections of Catawba County at the same time as candidates for other county offices. The notice shall state the candidate's name, age, and place of residence, and which shall be accompanied by a filing fee of ten dollars ($10.00)."
SECTION 1.(d)  Section 4 of Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 132 of the 1995 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 115C‑37, the Catawba County Board of Education shall be elected on a partisan basis. Except as provided by this act, the election shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapters 115C and 163 of the General Statutes. Members of the Catawba County Board of Education shall take office and qualify on the first Monday in December following their election."
SECTION 1.(e)  Section 5 of Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 132 of the 1995 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 5. All candidates in any primary or general election held under this Act shall be qualified voters of Catawba County who reside outside the boundaries of the Hickory Administrative School Unit and the Newton‑Conover Administrative School Unit, and shall be voted upon at large by the voters in Catawba County who reside outside the boundaries of the Hickory Administrative School Unit and the Newton‑Conover Administrative School Unit."
SECTION 1.(f)  Chapter 874 of the 1969 Session Laws is amended by adding a new section to read:
"Sec. 6.1. Vacancies on the Catawba County Board of Education shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C‑37.1."
SECTION 1.(g)  This act does not affect the term of office of any member elected in 2020 or 2022 to the Catawba County Board of Education. The members of the Catawba County Board of Education elected in 2020 and 2022, or any member appointed to fill a vacancy for the remainder of an unexpired term for a member elected in 2020 or 2022, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified. Any vacancy on the Catawba County Board of Education for a member elected in 2020 and 2022 shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the Board.
SECTION 1.(h)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held in 2024 and thereafter.
SECTION 2.(a)  Section 1 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Section 1.  The Hickory City Board of Education shall consist of seven members, 

		

		

elected to staggered four‑year terms."
SECTION 2.(b)  Section 3 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 3. One member of the Hickory City Board of Education shall be elected from each ward by the qualified voters of the ward, and the member must be a resident of the ward. One member of the Hickory City Board of Education shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the entire unit. Members shall be elected on a partisan basis at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year as terms expire. Candidates for election to the Hickory City Board of Education shall be nominated at the same time and manner as county officers. Except as provided by this act, the election shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapters 115C and 163 of the General Statutes. The election shall be held and conducted by the Catawba County Board of Elections."
SECTION 2.(c)  Section 4 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws, as amended by Chapter 382 of the 1979 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 4. Candidates for membership on the Hickory City Board of Education shall file a notice of candidacy with the Catawba County Board of Elections, on forms prescribed by the Board, at the same time as candidates for county officers, and pay a filing fee of five dollars ($5.00). All candidates in any primary or general election held under this act shall be qualified voters of Catawba County who reside within the boundaries of the Hickory Administrative School Unit and, if filing for a seat representing a ward, reside within that ward."
SECTION 2.(d)  Section 7 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 7. The members elected shall take office and qualify on the first Monday in December following their election and shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified."
SECTION 2.(e)  Section 10 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 10. All vacancies in the membership of the Hickory City Board of Education shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C‑37.1. For the purposes of that section, the Hickory City Board of Education shall be considered a county board of education."
SECTION 2.(f)  Sections 5 and 6 of Chapter 930 of the 1971 Session Laws are repealed.
SECTION 2.(g)  No election for the Hickory City Board of Education shall occur in 2023. The terms of office for the three members of the Hickory City Board of Education serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2023 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the four members of the Hickory City Board of Education serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2025 shall be extended by one year. Regular elections for the Hickory City Board of Education shall be conducted in even‑numbered years beginning in 2024.
SECTION 2.(h)  The members of the Hickory City Board of Education elected in 2019 and 2021, or any member appointed to fill a vacancy for the remainder of an unexpired term for a member elected in 2019 or 2021, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified. Any vacancy on the Hickory City Board of Education for a member elected in 2019 and 2021 shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the Hickory City Board of Education.
SECTION 2.(i)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.
SECTION 3.(a)  Chapter 200 of the Private Laws of 1935, as amended by Chapter 716 of the 1961 Session Laws and Chapter 81 of the 1967 Session Laws, reads as rewritten:
"Section 1. The Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall consist of six members. Members shall serve staggered four‑year terms. Three members shall represent the Newton district. Three members shall represent the Conover district.
"Sec. 1½. (a) Qualified voters residing in the area defined as "Old Conover Special School Tax District" shall vote for the members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education residing in that district only and the qualified voters residing in the area defined as the "Old Newton Graded School District" shall vote for the members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education residing in that district only, so that the Conover representatives shall be elected exclusively by voters and residents of the Conover district and the Newton representatives shall be elected exclusively by voters and residents of the Newton district.
(b)	For the purpose of conducting the elections for members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education, the division and boundary line separating the Old Conover Special School Tax District and the Old Newton Graded School District is hereby established and re‑defined as follows:
…
"Sec. 2. Members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall be elected on a partisan basis at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year as terms expire. Candidates for election to the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall be nominated at the same time and manner as county officers. Except as provided by this act, the election shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapters 115C and 163 of the General Statutes.
"Sec. 3. Candidates for membership on the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall file a notice of candidacy with the Catawba County Board of Elections, on forms prescribed by the Catawba County Board of Elections, at the same time as candidates for county officers. All candidates in any primary or general election held under this act shall be qualified voters of Catawba County who reside within the boundaries of the Newton‑Conover Administrative School Unit and who reside in the district for the seat apportioned to that district.
"Sec. 4. Elected members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall take office and qualify on the first Monday in December following the election. Members shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified.
"Sec. 5. Each year, the members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall elect a chair to serve for one year.
"Sec. 6. The election shall be held and conducted by the Catawba County Board of Elections.
"Sec. 7. Vacancies on the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C‑37.1. For the purposes of that section, the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall be considered a county board of education.
…."
SECTION 3.(b)  No election for the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall occur in 2023. The terms of office for the three members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2023 shall be extended by one year. The terms of office for the three members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education serving on the effective date of this section whose terms are set to expire in 2025 shall be extended by one year. Regular elections for the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education shall be conducted in even‑numbered years beginning in 2024.
SECTION 3.(c)  The members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education elected in 2019 and 2021, or any member appointed to fill a vacancy for the remainder of an unexpired term for a member elected in 2019 or 2021, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified. Any vacancy on the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education for a member elected in 2019 and 2021 shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education.
SECTION 3.(d)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.
SECTION 4.(a)  Chapter 551 of the 1981 Session Laws is repealed.
SECTION 4.(b)  Section 8 of Chapter 939 of the 1987 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 8. The Pamlico County Board of Education shall consist of seven members, elected on a partisan basis at the time of the general election in each even‑numbered year. Candidates for election to the Pamlico County Board of Education shall be nominated at the same time and manner as other county officers. Members shall serve staggered four‑year terms. Members shall take office on the first Monday in December following the election, and the terms of their predecessors shall expire at the same time. Members shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified. Except as otherwise provided by this act, elections shall be conducted in accordance with Chapters 115C and 163 of the General Statutes. Vacancies on the Pamlico County Board of Education shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C‑37.1."
SECTION 4.(c)  Section 10 of Chapter 939 of the 1987 Session Laws, as amended by S.L. 2005‑305, is repealed.
SECTION 4.(d)  Sections 11 and 13 of Chapter 939 of the 1987 Session Laws are repealed.
SECTION 4.(e)  Beginning in 2024, one member shall be elected from Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5 to serve four‑year terms. Beginning in 2026, one member shall be elected from District 4 and two members shall be elected from the county at large to serve four‑year terms.
SECTION 4.(f)  This section does not affect the terms of office of any person elected in 2020 or 2022 to the Pamlico County Board of Education. Any vacancy on the Pamlico County Board of Education for a member elected in 2020 or 2022 shall be filled by the remaining members of the Pamlico County Board of Education. The members of the Pamlico County Board of Education elected in 2020 or 2022, or any member appointed by the remaining members of the Pamlico County Board of Education to fill a vacancy of a member elected in 2020 or 2022, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified.
SECTION 5.(a)  G.S. 115C‑37.1(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	This section shall apply only to the Hickory City Board of Education and the Newton‑Conover City Board of Education and in the following counties: Alleghany, Beaufort, Brunswick, Burke, Caldwell, Carteret, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Craven, Dare, Davie, Graham, Guilford, Harnett, Hyde, Iredell, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Vance, Washington, and Yancey."
SECTION 5.(b)  This section becomes effective December 1, 2024.
SECTION 6.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.