Jacksonville residents are learning that a previously abandoned bill changing their city election structure has returned with a vengeance. House Bill 1038 would shift the city’s elections from a hybrid system with two at-large seats and four ward-based seats to an all at-large configuration.

Background

The goal is to “even out how many people actually vote” in Jacksonville, bill sponsor Rep. Wyatt Gable, R-Onslow, told a legislative committee on June 9. While Wards 2 and 3 have about 13,000 and 12,000 registered voters, respectively, Wards 1 and 4 have closer to 5,000, according to the Onslow County Board of Elections.

Bill co-sponsor Phil Shepard, R-Onslow, said that’s largely thanks to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps military base home to many temporary residents who may be registered to vote somewhere else. The base makes up a significant portion of Wards 1 and 4.

Concerns and Opposition

Black residents are speaking out against the proposed change. The current hybrid system replaced an at-large system in 1989, following a court challenge. The plaintiffs in the case, which included current Jacksonville city councilmember Jerome Willingham, argued that the at-large system discriminated against minority voters under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Onslow County NAACP president M. Kenyatta Euring disagrees with the proposed change. “Even if that is the case, then let us let the courts decide, which is what the courts exist for, instead of trying to just shove something down the throats of the people that live here,” he said.

Original reporting: Carolina Public Press — read the source article.