Voting rights activists in Watauga County have filed a lawsuit over changes to local elections that the legislature imposed ahead of the 2024 election.
GOP lawmakers approved a measure that changed the way voters chose the members of the board of commissioners and the board of education.
Some commissioners weren’t pleased, and in response, they put a measure on the ballot that included a mixture of district and at-large seats.
Voters overwhelmingly approved that referendum. But the legislature passed another bill keeping the measure from taking effect until 2034.
That’s one of the things that plaintiffs, including the Watauga Voting Rights Task Force and Common Cause, are suing over.
Another plaintiff is Ray Russell. He’s a former state representative and county commissioner. He says it’s unfair that a referendum that got such strong voter support is being delayed.
“Seventy-one percent of the people in Watauga County voted for something," he says. "And the legislature is denying the right for that to go into effect.”
The defendants are predominantly Watuaga government officials involved in local elections.