House passes changes to Buncombe commissioner elections

The state House of Representatives passed Republican Rep. Tim Moffitt‘s bill to expand the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners from five to seven members and mandate district representation in place of the current at-large elections. The May 2 vote fell across party lines in the Republican controlled House, with 69 legislators in favor of the measure and 48 opposed. The bill would institute this change without a local referendum.

The law would establish three commissioner districts, with the same boundaries as the county’s three state House districts. The lines of those districts are currently being drawn as part of the state’s redistricting process. Voters in each district would choose two commissioners, who would have to reside within the district; the board chair would still be elected by all of the county’s voters.

The measure will now go to the Republican controlled Senate, where it appears likely to pass, and become law. Governor Bev Perdue, a Democrat, does not have veto authority over the bill.

The legislation has proved controversial, with all of the current county commissioners and the rest of the Buncombe delegation strongly opposed. Buncombe Democratic Reps. Susan Fisher and Patsy Keever backed an amendment that would have put the issue to a binding county referendum. They also backed an amendment that would have enabled all of the voters in the county to vote for all of the commissioner candidates while dividing those candidates by districts. Both amendments failed.

The current Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is made up of five elected Democrats. The changes could help Republicans’ chances of getting elected by concentrating Democratic voters in one or more districts.

If the Senate passes the bill, it will likely take effect ahead of the 2012 elections.

— Jake Frankel, staff reporter

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Jake Frankel
Jake Frankel is an award-winning journalist who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, from politics and government to business, education and entertainment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “House passes changes to Buncombe commissioner elections

  1. Barry Summers

    Look back on this day and remember that the Teapublicans previous chants of “Let Buncombe Vote” have been proven to be lies. The proof is here. They don’t believe in actual democracy, they believe in power grabbing.

    We’ll remember.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.