Limited voting is one vote by each voter every two years for the county commissioner candidate of their choice. This year, four county commissioners will be elected. Two years ago, three county commissioners were elected. It’s an alternating process. The county commissioners are elected countywide. Each voter gets to vote for two of the seven. That is why it is called limited voting. Each voter only has a say over two of the positions being elected. There has been controversy over the system ever since it was implemented.

Before limited voting, Beaufort County had five area districts. This ensured that there was representation throughout the county. Even though there were five area districts, registered voters, throughout the county, were able to vote for the candidates in each area district. The candidate with the highest vote count in each district won. White Democrats loved this arrangement. Due to overwhelming Democrat voter registration and the blacks being in the minority, it allowed them to control all five seats on the Board of Commissioners.

In 1991, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina entered a “Judgment and Order” making findings concerning the manner and procedure by which county commissioners were elected and ordered the limited voting system the county presently has. This was the result of a 1988 lawsuit alleging that the existing system denied black voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The limited voting system, as we have today, was implemented in the 1992 election.

The new seven-member limited voting system not only allowed blacks to get elected to the Board but opened the door for Republicans. Republicans now control the Board by a 4-3 majority.

Efforts to change the limited voting system were made by the Fair Elections Task Force in 2003 and the Limited Voting Committee in 2013. At the Sept. 9, 2013, Board of Commissioners meeting, Beaufort County Manager Randell Woodruff recommended the following, which was accepted by the Limited Voting Committee.

• The BOC has studied the issue thoroughly over the past six months and you have determined there is a varying concern among the public.
• The Board feels it is not able to make a recommendation to change the voting method due to the conflicted position you find yourselves in as potentially any change would impact you as elected officials in Beaufort County.
• You encourage Beaufort County citizens who feel they are negatively impacted by the current limited voting method to seek relief in the Federal Court if they feel so inclined to do so.

It is my opinion that if change is going to occur, it will come from the residents of Beaufort County. Major concerns I have heard concerning the limited voting system:

• Perceived lack of representation outside of the Washington area.
• Present system is a system of factions; small factions within the county can elect a commissioner.
• Candidates win with far less than 50 percent of the vote. A candidate won with 13 percent of the vote in the 2012 election.
• Many believe that a district system would be the fairest for citizens of the county.
• Citizens are not able to vote for all commissioner seats. (This is unlikely to ever occur in the future.)

On the other side, there are some perceived benefits of the limited voting system.

• It’s working, why change it?
• If changed to a district system, there is a perception that there would not be enough candidates for competitive elections. The school board has districts and many seats are not contested.

What do I believe?

I do not think it is proper for a commissioner to be elected with 13 percent of the vote. I support districts and elections that result in a 50-percent majority and a runoff election if a 40-percent vote is not achieved by any of the candidates.

I believe a nine-commissioner board with districts that mirror the present school board districts would be the best option. This ensures countywide and minority representation. It limits the abilities of small factions electing candidates. Due to the fact that the county commission has taxing power, I don’t perceive there will be a lack of candidates or competitive races.

North Carolina General Statute 153A-58 allows for changing the board and the way the members may be elected. Such changes shall be initiated by the county board adopting a resolution which shall:

• Briefly but completely describe the proposal
• Prescribe the manner of transition
• Define the electoral districts, if any
• Call for a referendum on the question to be conducted by the county board of elections.

In Beaufort County’s case, since we elect under a court order and judgment, we must seek and receive court approval to change the way we elect our commissioners.

Is it again going to be a campaign issue? I don’t know.

Al Klemm is a retired Beaufort County commissioner.