At-Large Elections/Jacksonville City Council.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 2
HOUSE BILL 1038
Committee Substitute Favorable 6/9/26

Short Title: At-Large Elections/Jacksonville City Council. (Local)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 23, 2026
*H1038-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THAT ALL MEMBERS OF THE JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL 2
BE ELECTED AT-LARGE. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Section 2-8 of the Charter of the City of Jacksonville, being Chapter 5
911 of the 1967 Session Laws, as amended by City Ordinance No. 89 -21 adopted on April 26, 6
1989, and City Ordinance No. 06-59 adopted on November 21, 2006, reads as rewritten: 7
"Sec. 2-8. – Election of mayor and council – Generally. 8
At a regular election to be held by the Onslow County Board of Elections on the Tuesday 9
after the first Monday in November, there shall be elected a mayor and six councilmembers, 10
Council Members, all of whom shall reside within the city and who shall run and be elected in 11
the following manner: T wo of the councilmembers shall run at large and four of the 12
councilmembers shall be elected from the wards established by the City of Jacksonville under 13
this ordinance and map published herewith or as such wards may hereafter be constituted, and 14
there shall be elected only one councilmember from each ward who shall be a resident of the 15
ward for which he is elected and shall be voted on by the qualified voters of such ward. The 16
candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office of councilmember f rom the ward 17
of his residence shall be declared elected to that office. The two candidates running at large 18
shall be voted on by all qualified voters of the city and the two candidates running at large who 19
receive the highest number of votes for the office of councilmember shall be declared elected 20
to that office. The candidate for mayor shall be elected by the electors of the city at large. The 21
candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office of mayor shall be declared 22
elected mayor. 23
Effective December 27, 2006, at the next regular municipal election following 24
pre-clearance of this Charter Amendment by the Department of Justice, if said pre -clearance 25
occurs on or before the last day of the filing period for said election, the candidates receiv ing 26
the highest number of votes for the Office of Mayor and the candidates receiving the highest 27
number of votes for Ward 3 and Ward 4 (minority ward) Council Members shall be elected for 28
an initial four (4) year term; and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes for 29
At-Large Council Members and the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for Ward 30
1 (minority ward) and Ward 2 Council Members shall be elected for an initial two (2) year 31
term. Subsequent elections for the Mayor and al l City Council Members shall be for four -year 32
terms and until their successors are elected and qualified. at-large by the qualified voters of the 33
entire City of Jacksonville . The mayor shall serve a four -year term and until a successor is 34
elected and qualified. Council Members shall serve four -year staggered terms and until their 35
successors are elected an d qualified." 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1038-Second Edition
SECTION 2. This act shall not affect the filling of a vacancy that occurs for the 1
officers in the City of Jacksonville for a seat elected prior to the effective date of this act. Any 2
person appointed to fill a vacancy for a Council Member seat representing a ward s hall be a 3
resident of the ward in which the vacancy occurs. 4
SECTION 3. Section 1 of this act becomes effective at the time of the organizational 5
meeting held in accordance with G.S. 160A-68 in December 2027. In order to implement Section 6
1 of this act, the 2027 elections shall be conducted as if the provisions of this section were already 7
in effect. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held 8
on or after that date. 9