RALEIGH — A bill filed on Feb. 13 by Rep. Erin Paré (R-Wake) seeks to create voting districts for Wake County Board of Commissioners elections.
House Bill 99 would seek to mirror the Wake County School Board, which uses a method of each candidate or member residing in a specific district and being elected by the voters residing in that district. Additionally, the bill would make the elections of WBOC members nonpartisan races.
Currently, the seven members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners (WBOC) are elected in an at-large, county-wide format.
In an interview with North State Journal, Paré said House Bill 99 is “a common-sense bill.”
“We need this bill now, especially because Wake County is now larger in population than eight states and it’s the largest county in North Carolina with 1.2 million people,” Paré said.
The Wake County legislator noted that no district lines are being redrawn and the bill does not affect the term length of any of the WBOC members.
Paré cited issues with constituents feeling like they do not have a voice when all six districts are voting for one commissioner in their area who should be accountable to the voters of that area.
“A lot of some people would say it’s taxation without representation,” said Paré. “Right now, it is seven people who have a constituent base larger than a member of Congress, and that doesn’t make any sense.”
