It’s hard to believe, but if you haven’t voted in the 2021 Greensboro City Council election there is still time.

The polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26, and although voting at some precincts was steady, no lines have been reported.  It’s also a short ballot.  Each voter has the opportunity to vote for mayor, three at-large City Council candidates, one district City Council candidate and yes or no on five bonds.

This is the election that was originally scheduled for Nov. 2, 2021.  It was first delayed by the North Carolina legislature to a March 8, 2022 primary and general election in April or May because the US Census data needed for redistricting was released late due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Filing for the March 8, 2022 primary election opened on Dec. 6, 2021 and was closed by the North Carolina Supreme Court on Dec. 8, and the primary was delayed until May 17, 2022.  The NC Supreme Court delayed the primary in order to settle legal challenges to the congressional and state legislative redistricting.  However, those legal challenges had no effect on the Greensboro City Council election.

Filing for the City Council election reopened on Feb. 24 and closed on March 4.

So the City Council primary originally scheduled for Oct. 5, 2021 was held on May 17, 2022 and the general election originally scheduled for Nov. 2, 2021 is being held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.

The terms of the serving city councilmembers, which were due to expire the first Tuesday in December 2021, were extended until after the results for the July 26 election are certified.

The City Council has scheduled an organizational meeting for Thursday, Aug. 11 when the newly elected members of the City Council will be sworn in to serve until December 2025.  It will reportedly be the first City Council sworn in to serve three-year-and-four-month terms.