Raleigh could add 3 members to City Council and make other changes. Here is the plan.
Raleigh city leaders want to change how they are elected, again.
The Raleigh City Council took initial steps Tuesday to move to four-year terms and a nonpartisan primary election method. It also voted to potentially expand its membership by three people.
If approved, the changes would take effect in 2026.
The eight-person City Council, including the mayor, is currently elected every two years, with all eight seats up at once.
Didn’t the city’s election method already change recently?
Yes. This would be the second time the election format has changed for the Raleigh City Council since 2021.
Several municipalities, including Raleigh, had to postpone their 2021 elections when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the release of U.S. Census redistricting data needed for local elections.
The N.C. General Assembly considered pushing the 2021 elections to the March 2022 primary to comply with state law. But Raleigh voted in closed session to ask that its elections be permanently moved to even-numbered years, starting in November 2022. That vote was incorporated into the General Assembly bill that eventually became law.
That change was criticized for a lack of transparency and for giving current elected officials an extra year in office. It also changed the election method from a nonpartisan election and runoff method to a nonpartisan plurality election method.
That means candidates with the most votes get elected, regardless of whether they got a majority of the votes. That happened in 2022 when Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin received 47% of the vote against two challengers.
What is the new change the Raleigh City Council is considering?
Now, city officials are considering moving to four-year staggered terms and changing to a nonpartisan primary method. Asheville, Durham, Fayetteville and Greensboro all use this election method.
The proposal suggests electing part of the council in one election and the rest in the next election, starting with the mayor, one at-large seat and two district seats and then, two years later, one at-large seat and three district seats.
On Tuesday, Council member Megan Patton said she’d like to see the council vote on expanding the number of members on the board from eight to 11. While not included in the agenda, city staff did provide a resolution that would add three district members, starting in 2026.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Melton said he supported adding more seats but would like to see two district seats and an additional at-large seat. But the issue had been discussed for several months and he was ready to move forward.
The vote was approved 6-1 with Baldwin voting against it, saying she’d also prefer to see another at-large seat be included.
Council member Corey Branch was absent from the meeting.
Why does the city want to do this?
This change is based on recommendations from a 10-member group that studied how the city elects and pays the mayor and City Council. That group recommended moving to four-year terms, moving elections to even-numbered years, and adding a district council member to the board, among other changes.
A city-sponsored survey found 50% of Raleigh residents polled did “not support” or were not supportive at all” of moving to four-year terms, while 19% were “somewhat supportive” and 21% were “very supportive.” Ten percent were “not sure.”
What happens next
A public hearing on the new terms and additional council members will be held at 7 p.m. April 2 at the Raleigh Municipal Building.
The City Council would then vote at a third meeting whether to make the changes in the city’s charter or bring the idea before voters during the 2024 election.
The next Raleigh City Council election is Nov. 5. Filing for the election runs July 5-19.
This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 12:20 PM.
