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HB 302

Pitt County Board of Education Election Partisan.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Chris Humphrey and 1 co-sponsor

HB 302 makes Pitt County School Board elections partisan with party labels, keeps nine single-district seats, and starts in 2026, aligning terms, vacancies, and transition rules.

Regular Message Received From House
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Bill Summary · HB 302

Summary — HB 302: Pitt County Board of Education — Partisan Elections

Status: Regular message received from House (introduced 2025).
Primary sponsor: Rep. Reeder. Subject: Local government; education; elections; Pitt County.

Purpose

HB 302 changes how members of the Pitt County Board of Education are elected by converting board elections from a nonpartisan to a partisan format. The bill aligns nomination and ballot procedures for board candidates with those used for other county officers.

Key provisions

  • Converts elections for all nine Pitt County Board of Education seats to partisan contests. Candidates will run with party affiliation and be nominated in the same manner as other county officers (see G.S. 163‑291).
  • Maintains the current structure of nine members elected from single‑member districts; only voters who reside in a district may vote for the member from that district.
  • Establishes timing and terms consistent with state law:
    • Elections held in even‑numbered years at the time of the general election.
    • Members take office on the first Monday in December following the election and serve staggered four‑year terms (board continues until successor is elected and qualified).
  • Vacancy procedure:
    • Vacancies continue to be filled by appointment of remaining board members.
    • The appointee must reside in the same district as the departing member.
    • Appointments serve until the next regularly scheduled election for county boards of education, when the remainder of the unexpired term (or a new term if applicable) is elected.
  • Transitional/continuity language:
    • The act does not change the term of any member elected in 2024 (they and any 2024 appointees serve until successors are elected and qualified).

Effective date and timing

  • The bill takes effect so that elections held in 2026 and thereafter are conducted under the partisan format; the act states it becomes effective the first Monday in December 2026 (so the 2026 general election is the first partisan election under this law).

Who is affected

  • Pitt County voters and candidates for the local school board.
  • Current and future Pitt County Board of Education members.
  • County election officials (ballot design, candidate filing and nomination processing).
  • Political parties, which may play a larger role in candidate recruitment and nomination.

Potential implications

  • Administrative: county election processes must reflect partisan nominations and party labels on ballots.
  • Political/operational: party organization may increase involvement in school board contests; campaign dynamics, turnout, and messaging could change when party labels appear on the ballot.
  • Legal/statutory: aligns Pitt County’s board election procedure with statewide election statutes referenced in the bill (e.g., G.S. 163‑291 and provisions governing county board elections).

Statutory change

  • Amends provisions of Chapter 193 of the 1987 Session Laws (Pitt County Board of Education) and references G.S. 115C and 163 for election conduct and nomination procedures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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