A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to require that soil and water conservation district elections in union county be conducted on a partisan basis.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 139‑6 reads as rewritten:
"§ 139‑6.  District board of supervisors – elective members; certain duties.
After the issuance of the certificate of organization of the soil and water conservation district by the Secretary of State, an election shall be held in each county of the district to elect the members of the soil and water conservation district board of supervisors as herein provided.
The district board of supervisors shall consist of three elective members to be elected in each county of the district, and that number of appointive members as provided in G.S. 139‑7. Upon the creation of a district, the first election of the members shall be held at the next succeeding election for county officers.
All elections for members of the district board of supervisors shall be held at the same time as the primary and regular election for county officers beginning in 2024. The election shall be partisan and held and conducted by the county board of elections.
Candidates shall file their notice of candidacy on forms prescribed by the county board of elections. The notice of candidacy must be filed in accordance with the time for filing under G.S. 163‑106.2(b). The candidate shall pay a filing fee of five dollars ($5.00) at the time of filing the notice of candidacy.
Members of the district board of supervisors shall be elected for terms of four years. If a vacancy occurs in the office of supervisor, the Commission shall consult the county executive committee of that political party before filling the vacancy and shall appoint 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.
The persons elected in 2024 and thereafter shall take office on the first Monday in December following their election.

All qualified voters of the district shall be eligible to vote in the election. Except as provided in this Chapter, the election shall be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of Articles 23 and 24 of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.
The district board of supervisors, after the appointment of the appointive members has been made, shall select from its members a chairman, a vice‑chairman and a secretary. It shall be the duty of the district board of supervisors to perform those powers, duties, and authority conferred upon supervisors under this Chapter; to develop annual county and district goals and plans for soil conservation work therein; to request agencies, whose duties are such as to render assistance in soil and water conservation, to set forth in writing what assistance they may have available in the county and district."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 139‑7 reads as rewritten:
"§ 139‑7.  District board of supervisors – appointive members; organization of board; certain powers and duties.
The governing body of a soil and water conservation district shall consist of the three elective supervisors from the county or counties in the district, together with the appointive members appointed by the Soil and Water Conservation Commission pursuant to this section, and shall be known as the district board of supervisors. When a district is composed of less than four counties, the board of supervisors of each county shall on or before October 31, 1978, and on or before October 31 as the terms of the appointive supervisors expire, recommend in writing two persons from the district to the Commission to be appointed to serve with the elective supervisors. If the names are not submitted to the Commission as required, the office shall be deemed vacant on the date the term is set to expire and the Commission shall appoint two persons of the district to the district board of supervisors to serve with the elected supervisors. The Commission shall make its appointments prior to or at the November meeting of the Commission. Appointive supervisors shall take office on the first Monday in December following their appointment. Such appointive supervisors shall serve for a term of four years, and thereafter, as their terms expire, their successors shall serve for a term of four years. The terms of office of all appointive supervisors who have heretofore been lawfully appointed for terms the final year of which presently extends beyond the first Monday in December are hereby terminated on the first Monday in December of the final year of appointment. Vacancies for any reason in the appointive supervisors shall be filled for the unexpired term by the appointment of a person by the Commission from the district in which the vacancy occurs. Vacancies for any reason in the elected supervisors shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the Commission of a person from the county in the district in which the vacancy occurs in accordance with G.S. 139‑6.
…."
SECTION 3.  In applying this act, a candidate's party affiliation or unaffiliated status shall be based on the party affiliation or unaffiliated status under which the candidate registered at the general election immediately preceding the candidate's filing for office pursuant to this act.
SECTION 4.  This act applies to Union County Soil and Water Conservation District only.
SECTION 5.  This act is effective with respect to primaries and elections held on or after January 1, 2024.