Elections in many big NC municipalities delayed until 2022

A new legislation passed on Monday will delay more than 30 municipal elections in North Carolina until 2022. 

Under the new legislation, municipalities across North Carolina, including Ahoskie, Edenton, and Raleigh among others, will delay elections which were originally scheduled for later in 2021. 

• Due to delays in the census caused by the pandemic and the Trump administration’s repeated efforts to conclude the 2020 Census early, detailed population breakdowns from the 2020 census won’t be available until September.
  
• Some cities need that data to redraw districts to reflect changes in their population since 2010, and the delayed data won’t give officials enough time to redraw districts or allow candidates to file and campaign before elections scheduled for this fall.
  
• “City, town, and village elections not affected by this law will go on as planned later this year,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NC State Board of Elections. “The State Board and county boards are hard at work preparing for the upcoming candidate filing periods and elections.”

To find out more about which cities and towns municipal elections are delayed until 2022, go to the NC State Board of Elections website.