A House bill introduced by two Onslow County legislators proposes to eliminate the Jacksonville City Council ward system that was established more than three decades ago.
House Bill 1038 was filed in the House on April 22 by N.C. Rep. Wyatt Gable and N.C. Rep. Phil Shepard, Republicans who represent Onslow County, and is under review in the Committee on Election Law. Gable and Shepard are primary sponsors of the bill.
House Bill 1038, At-Large Elections/Jacksonville City Council, is proposing to change the city charter regarding how many members of council are elected at large.
If passed, the legislation would require that all members of the Jacksonville City Council be elected at-large beginning in 2027. Currently, two of the six seats are elected at-large with the other four representing individual wards.
The ward system was established following a class-action lawsuit in 1990 that alleged that the city was suppressing Black voters. That effort was primarily led by former and current-sitting Councilman Jerome Willingham.
A lawsuit was then filed in 2022 against the city and the Onslow County Board of Elections seeking to cease the use of the ward system but a judge dismissed that suit in 2023.
Gable said Tuesday that he introduced the bill to eliminate the ward system in response to concerns from constituents. He said current voter engagement differs widely between districts, with some wards having around 1,200 voters and others having closer to 200.
“This imbalance raises major concerns about fairness and equal voice in local government,” Gable said. “This bill is the best way to address the issues with the current system and ensure that all Jacksonville residents have an opportunity to be represented, regardless of what neighborhood they live in.”
M. Kenyatta Euring, president of the Onslow County NAACP, said North Carolina already has voter turnout problems and he is concerned that eliminating the ward system would “further muffle voices” and “increase voter apathy.”
He said that as an association, the NAACP has a goal of ensuring all communities and neighborhoods are represented in local government.
“To take away the ward system where you have local communities and locales able to elect people who are from their community, who understand their local issues and bring those as representatives to the city, that’s the representation that democracy is built on,” Euring said.
“For them to take that away, there is a very real danger that some people are going to lose their voice.”
He also said Gable and Shepard don’t live in the city and said he thinks there should have been more community input from those who will be affected by the change.
Euring and the NAACP are encouraging residents to contact Gable and/or Shepard, as well as members of the N.C. House Committee on Election Law.
The Onslow County Democratic Party requested the same, saying in a statement, “This is about keeping Jacksonville’s voice intact and ensuring every voice and every ward has proper representation.”
The Onslow County Republican Party voted unanimously at its recent meeting to send a letter of support for the bill to legislators.
“This legislation will put all candidates on an equal footing when competing for office and end the noxious practice of racially discriminatory voting wards,” said Laura Deptola, GOP chair, in the letter.
Jacksonville City Manager Josh Ray said the council has not yet discussed the bill and cannot take a position at this time.
Council added the bill to its Monday meeting agenda as a discussion item.