NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1973 SESSION

CHAPTER 551

HOUSE BILL 666

AN ACT TO PROVIDE BY GENERAL LAW FOR THE REGISTRATION OF VOTERS IN ANY AREA PROPOSED FOR INCORPORATION BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  A new section, G.S. 163-288.2, is inserted in the General Statutes, to read as follows:

"§ 163-288.2.  Registration of voters in area proposed for incorporation. — (a) Whenever the General Assembly incorporates a new city and provides in the act of incorporation for a referendum on the question of incorporation or for a special election for town officials or for both, the board of elections of the county in which the proposed city is located shall determine those individuals eligible to vote in the referendum or special election. In determining the eligible voters the board may, in its discretion, use either of the following methods:

METHOD A. — The board of elections shall prepare a list of those registered voters residing within the proposed city. The board shall make this list available for public inspection in its office for a two-week period ending 21 days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) before the day of the referendum or special election. During this period, any voter resident within the proposed city and not included on the list may cause his name to be added to the list. At least one week and no more than two weeks before the day the period of public inspection is to begin, the board shall cause notice of the list's availability to be posted in at least two prominent places within the proposed city and may cause the notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The notice shall state that the list has been prepared, that only those persons listed may vote in the referendum or special election, that the list will be available for public inspection in the board's office, and that any qualified voter not included on the list may cause his name to be added to the list during the two-week period of public inspection.

METHOD B. — The board of elections shall conduct a special registration of eligible persons desiring to vote in the referendum or special election. The registration records shall be open for a two-week period (except Sundays) ending 21 days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) before the day of the referendum or special election. On the two Saturdays during that two-week period, the records shall be located at the voting place for the referendum or special election; on the other days it may, in the discretion of the board, be kept at the voting place, at the office of the board, or at the place of business of a person designated by the board to conduct the special registration. At least one week and no more than two weeks before the day the period of special registration is to begin, the board shall cause notice of the registration to be posted in at least two prominent places within the proposed city and may cause the notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The notice shall state the purpose and times of the special registration, the location of the registration records, and that only those persons registered in the special registration may vote in the referendum or special election.

(b)        Only persons registered pursuant to this section may vote in the referendum or special election."

Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 17th day of May, 1973.