From Staff Reports

RALEIGH — After adopting an amendment to shift Asheville City Council elections to even-numbered years, the state Senate unanimously approved a bill June 25 to require five members of Asheville City Council be elected via district.

Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Hendersonville, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate that switching from the current procedure of electing all of council’s seven members in citywide races to five council members elected by district will “modernize Asheville’s election process ... move city government closer to its citizens and... restore confidence in the Asheville City Council election process. “

The bill was sent to the House— and a vote was expected to occur by the end of June. If it passes — as expected — in the Republican-dominated House, the next Asheville council election will be in 2020, instead of next year, as per the current system.

Council members would be elected to Districts 1 (West Asheville) and 2 (central and West Asheville), along with the regular member of council to be chosen citywide. The mayor’s seat and seats on council from the remaining seats would be chosen in 2022.

An amendment offered by Sen Terry Van Duynn, D-Buncombe, backed by Edwards, was unanimously adopted by the Sentate to make the even-year election timing change.

In 2017, Edwards achieved passage of a bill that directed Asheville’s council to adopt a six-district structure that would have only the mayor chosen in a citywide vote. In the aftermath, council scheduled a November 2017 referendum on the idea — and 75 percent of city voters rejected it.

His current bill would mandate that the mayor and one other member of council run citywide. Edwards said he made that change after talks he and other legislators had with members of council and feedback from the public via the General Assembly webisite.

After the vote, Van Duynn thanked Edwards “for being willing to compromise” by changing the number of districts. 

“We both have the same objective and that objective is a City Council that adequately represents the voters of Asheville ... though we might disagree on some of the ways to do that,” she said.

Van Duynn told the Senate that, if city elections are moved to years in which state and federal offices also are on the ballot, “We can anticipate greater voter turnout and greater participation in the election.” 

Van Duynn previously opposed Edwards’ bill and had said decisions on the election process should be made by council and city voters. She said she reversed course in the third week of June after she agreed to support the bill in return for Edwards’ backing the change to elections in even-numbered years.