On April 2, 2024, the Raleigh City Council discussed major changes regarding how and when residents will vote in the future for the mayor and city council members. The changes would become effective in 2026.
The issues were divided into two resolutions:
Resolution 1:
- Four-year terms
- Staggered terms
- Nonpartisan Primary and Election method
Resolution 2:
- Addition of 3 district council members
According to state law, the council must have three meetings with specific objectives. April 2 was the second meeting and included a public hearing, and several residents spoke.
The third meeting must be held within 60 days of the second meeting, and at that meeting (May 21), the council must vote on whether or not the issues should be placed on the ballot for voters to decide.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council appeared to have agreed (unofficially) to four-year staggered terms and a nonpartisan primary. Council members stated they wanted additional citizen engagement before making the decision, at the third meeting, whether or not to put the issues on the ballot for the voters to decide.
The previous city council (including the current mayor) made major changes to election with no citizen input whatsoever, and some council members said they wanted to avoid that type of scenario.
The council asked city staff to bring back information at the April 16 council meeting about additional methods for citizen engagement regarding the election changes.
