NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1977 SESSION

CHAPTER 752

HOUSE BILL 1362

AN ACT TO AMEND G.S. 163-288.1 RELATING TO CITY VOTERS IN ANNEXED TERRITORY.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  G.S. 163-288.1(a) is amended by striking the period after the end of the last sentence and adding the following words and punctuation:

"or when activating voters after an annexation of new territory by a city or special district under G. S. Chapter 160A, Article 4A, or other general or local law."

Sec. 2.  G.S. 163-288.2(a) is repealed and rewritten to read as follows:

"§ 163-288.2.  Registration in area proposed for incorporation or annexed. — (a) Whenever the General Assembly incorporates a new city and provides in the act of incorporation for a referendum on the question of incorporation or for a special election for town officials or for both, or whenever an existing city or special district annexes new territory under the provisions of G.S. Chapter 160A, Article 4A, or other general or local law, the board of elections of the county in which the proposed city is located or in which the newly annexed territory is located shall determine those individuals eligible to vote in the referendum or special election or in the city or special district elections. In determining the eligible voters the board may, in its discretion, use either of the following methods:

METHOD A. — The board of elections shall prepare a list of those registered voters residing within the proposed city or newly annexed territory. The board shall make this list available for public inspection in its office for a two-week period ending 21 days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) before the day of the referendum or special election, or the next scheduled city or special district election. During this period, any voter resident within the proposed city or newly annexed territory and not included on the list may cause his name to be added to the list. At least one week and no more than two weeks before the day the period of public inspection is to begin, the board shall cause notice of the list's availability to be posted in at least two prominent places within the proposed city or newly annexed territory and may cause the notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The notice shall state that the list has been prepared, that only those persons listed may vote in the referendum or special election, that the list will be available for public inspection in the board's office, that any qualified voter not included on the list may cause his name to be added to the list during the two-week period of public inspection, and that persons in newly annexed territory should present themselves so their registration records may be activated for voting in city or special district elections in the newly annexed territory.

METHOD B. — The board of elections shall conduct a special registration of eligible persons desiring to vote in the referendum or special election or in the newly annexed territory. The registration records shall be open for a two-week period (except Sundays) ending 21 days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) before the day of the referendum or special election or the next scheduled city or special district election. On the two Saturdays during that two-week period, the records shall be located at the voting place for the referendum or special election or the next scheduled city or special district election; on the other days it may, in the discretion of the board, be kept at the voting place, at the office of the board, or at the place of business of a person designated by the board to conduct the special registration. At least one week and no more than two weeks before the day the period of special registration is to begin, the board shall cause notice of the registration to be posted in at least two prominent places within the proposed city or newly annexed territory and may cause the notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The notice shall state the purpose and times of the special registration, the location of the registration records, that only those persons registered in the special registration may vote in the referendum or special election, and that persons in newly annexed territory should present themselves so their registration records may be activated for voting in city or special district elections in the newly annexed territory.

(b)        Only those persons registered pursuant to this section may vote in the referendum or special election, provided, however, that in cases where voters are activated under either Method A or B to vote in a city or special district that annexes territory, the city or special district shall permit them to vote in the city or special district's election and shall, as well, permit other voters to vote in such elections who did not register under the provisions of this section if they are otherwise registered, qualified and eligible to vote in the same."

Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 27th day of June, 1977.