GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2025

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE BILL 1038

Short Title:      At-Large Elections/Jacksonville City Council.		(Local)
Sponsors:	Representatives Gable and Shepard (Primary Sponsors). For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to:	Election Law, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

April 23, 2026

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to require that all members of the Jacksonville city council be elected at‑large.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Section 2‑8 of the Charter of the City of Jacksonville, being Chapter 911 of the 1967 Session Laws, as amended by City Ordinance No. 89‑21 adopted on April 26, 1989, and City Ordinance No. 06‑59 adopted on November 21, 2006, reads as rewritten:

"Sec. 2‑8. – Election of mayor and council – Generally.

At a regular election to be held by the Onslow County Board of Elections on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, there shall be elected a mayor and six councilmembers, Council members, all of whom shall reside within the city and who shall run and be elected in the following manner: Two of the councilmembers shall run at large and four of the councilmembers shall be elected from the wards established by the City of Jacksonville under this ordinance and map published herewith or as such wards may hereafter be constituted, and there shall be elected only one councilmember from each ward who shall be a resident of the ward for which he is elected and shall be voted on by the qualified voters of such ward. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office of councilmember from the ward of his residence shall be declared elected to that office. The two candidates running at large shall be voted on by all qualified voters of the city and the two candidates running at large who receive the highest number of votes for the office of councilmember shall be declared elected to that office. The candidate for mayor shall be elected by the electors of the city at large. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office of mayor shall be declared elected mayor.

Effective December 27, 2006, at the next regular municipal election following pre‑clearance of this Charter Amendment by the Department of Justice, if said pre‑clearance occurs on or before the last day of the filing period for said election, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the Office of Mayor and the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for Ward 3 and Ward 4 (minority ward) Council Members shall be elected for an initial four (4) year term; and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes for At‑Large Council Members and the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for Ward 1 (minority ward) and Ward 2 Council Members shall be elected for an initial two (2) year term. Subsequent elections for the Mayor and all City Council Members shall be for four‑year terms and until their successors are elected and qualified.at‑large by the qualified voters in the entire City of Jacksonville. The mayor shall be elected to serve a four‑year term and until a successor is elected and qualified. Council members shall be elected to serve four‑year staggered terms and until their successors are elected and qualified."

SECTION 2.  Beginning in 2027 with the regular municipal elections for the City of Jacksonville, and biennially thereafter, all Council members shall be elected "at‑large" by the qualified voters of the City. No Council members for the City of Jacksonville shall be elected by ward but the same staggering of terms shall remain in place as when members of the City Council were elected by ward.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or after that date.