Section 163-132.3 - Alterations to approved precinct boundaries(a) No county board of elections may change any precinct boundary unless approved by the Executive Director of the State Board.(b) To be used by the Executive Director and the county boards of elections in changing precinct boundaries in accordance with this section, the State Board shall set uniform standards for precinct boundaries that the county boards of elections shall follow. Any uniform standards for precinct boundaries set by the State Board shall comply with all of the following:(1) Precinct boundaries shall coincide with Census block boundaries, as set forth in the TIGER/Line Shapefiles associated with the most recent federal decennial census.(2) Precincts shall consist solely of contiguous territory.(3) Precincts shall consist of territory and population that allows for efficient and accurate administration of elections, taking into consideration available polling places and access to polling places.(4) The county shall be able to reallocate any out of precinct ballots cast by a voter to the precinct associated with that voter's voter registration for purposes of reporting the results of an election.(c) The county board of elections shall report every change in precinct boundary to the Executive Director in a format required by the Executive Director. No newly created or altered precinct boundary is effective until approved by the Executive Director as being in compliance with this section.
(d) The Executive Director shall examine the maps of the proposed new or altered precincts and any required written descriptions. If the Executive Director determines that all precinct boundaries are in compliance with this section, the Executive Director shall approve the maps and written descriptions as filed and these precincts shall be the official precincts for voting.(e) If the Executive Director determines that the proposed precinct boundaries are not in compliance with subsection (b) of this section, the Executive Director shall not approve those proposed precinct boundaries. The Executive Director shall notify the county board of elections of the disapproval specifying the reasons. The county board of elections may then resubmit new proposed precinct maps and written descriptions to cure the reasons for the disapproval.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-132.3
Amended by 2019 N.C. Sess. Laws 16,s. 4-a, eff. 1/1/2020.1985, c. 757, s. 205(a); 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1074, s. 2; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 927, s. 1; 1993, c. 352, s. 3; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 762, s. 71; 1995, c. 423, ss. 2, 3; 1999-227, ss. 1, 2; 2001-319, ss. 10.1, 11; 2001-487, s. 96; 2002-159, s. 56; 2003-434, 1st Ex. Sess., s. 13; 2004-127, s. 1(a); 2007-391, s. 6(b); 2008-187, s. 33(b); 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).