The four-year terms of the Greensboro City Council expired in December 2021.
Here in the middle of January 2022, nobody knows how long the current City Council will be serving their extended terms.
Filing for all offices for the 2022 election was suspended by the North Carolina Supreme Court on Dec. 8, 2021, and no date for filing to resume has been set.
The NC Supreme Court delayed the March 8 primary until May 17 but has been silent on when the general elections for municipal offices will be held following that primary.
There was already plenty of confusion about the general election following the statute passed by the North Carolina legislature, which set the date for municipal general elections as the date of the runoff election for the statewide primary, which was to be either April 26 or May 17. The date of the runoff depended on whether or not there was a runoff in any of the 14 congressional district primaries or the primaries for the US Senate seat.
Presumably, the general election for the Greensboro City Council will be the date of the runoff primary of the May 17 primary, which would put it on July 5 or July 26, again depending on whether or not there is a runoff in a primary in a congressional or senate race.
Holding the Greensboro City Council general election on July 5 would pretty much ensure extremely low voter turnout in an election that traditionally has low voter turnout when it is held in November.
And holding the primary on May 17 can only take place if the NC Supreme Court makes a decision – on the appeal from the unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel that the redistricting maps drawn by the NC legislature were constitutional – by mid-February in time for election officials to prepare for the May 17 primary.
If the NC Supreme Court doesn’t reach a decision by the deadline, the primary could be delayed again which would mean the terms of the members of the Greensboro City Council would be extended.
So this council will have milked almost a whole year of unelected governance and will have a date for election when everyone is on vacation. Got it.
Get it together NC. I have a hard time believing is that the 13 voters who will show up for this election are that scared of Covid.
Election day should be a holiday so more people can vote!
chris really with all the options that are available we have enough wasted paid holidays now including the one coming up on Monday.
No comment neskasairy.
“Here in the middle of January 2022, nobody knows how long the current City Council will be serving their extended terms.”
Yes, our City Council is serving. Unfortunately, they are serving themselves. Even more Unfortunately, we (collectively) will return almost every one of them to the Council so they can continue to screw up our city for another four years. We are slow learners.
I wonder if Justin Outling still thinks there is going to be an election
Greensboro loves James hinson