Senate committee passes Wake redistricting bill

A bill that would redraw Wake County Board of Commissioners districts passed through the Senate Redistricting Committee on Tuesday.

Posted 8:02 p.m. Mar 10, 2015 — Updated 12:36 a.m. Mar 11, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. — A bill that would redraw Wake County Board of Commissioners districts passed through the Senate Redistricting Committee on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 181, filed by Sen. Chad Barefoot, R-Wake, would add two commissioners to the current seven-member board and redraw the districts to align them with Wake County school board districts. The new configuration would include two regional districts, one focused on Raleigh’s urban core and the other covering Wake County’s outlying areas.

Under the current system, commissioners must live within the geographic district they represent, but all Wake County voters have a say in their election. Under the proposed measure, which would take effect in 2018, each voter would select one local district candidate and one of two regional candidates. That arrangement, Barefoot said, would make representatives more accountable to their constituents.

The bill now moves to the full Senate, where it is expected to be taken up on Wednesday.

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