A federal lawsuit was filed April 9, 2015 in Raleigh seeking to overturn a controversial law passed by Republicans in the General Assembly. The law would change the way Wake County voters choose their county commissioners starting next year. Under the current system, all seven commissioners are elected countywide, which supporters of the status quo say makes them responsive to the entire county and helps beat back parochialism. The new system—pushed principally by Sen. Chad Barefoot, R-Wake and Franklin, and Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake—creates seven single-member districts drawn along the lines the Legislature used a couple of years ago to re-carve the Wake County School Board, and two super-districts. Read the full story in Indy Week by clicking here.
Raleigh Wake Citizens Association et al. v. Chad Barefoot