Alexander County Board of Education members voted unanimously Aug. 11 to adopt seven new single-member voting districts for the board, saying the plan meets state statutory population requirements and follows local precinct and road lines.

The vote came after a presentation from Taylor Dellinger of the West Piedmont Council of Governments, who outlined the redistricting process, the data used and a project timeline. The board'chair, Chairman Reese, called for the approval; Vice Chairman Degenhardt moved to approve and Board Member Arguelles seconded. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Redistricting follows the 2020 U.S. Census and state requirements that newly drawn Board of Education voting districts be within 5% of the district population average. Dellinger told the board the county population used for the calculations was 36,444 and that the seven-district average population is 5,206; he said the new maps keep all districts within the 5% range and in fact within roughly 2.5% of the average.

Dellinger said the maps were drawn from 2020 census blocks, overlaid with county road and precinct lines and with elementary-school attendance zones for reference. He emphasized that the change affects only how school board members are elected; it does not change elementary, middle or high school attendance boundaries. He also said all current board members'residences are inside the new districts, an objective of the project.

The board reviewed multiple draft scenarios during work sessions in April, June and July and revised maps after consultation with the Alexander County Board of Elections and the county GIS office. Dellinger said the maps avoid precinct "slivers," follow roads or precinct lines where practical, and generally place each board voting district inside two or three election precincts to help elections administration.

Board members and staff described the process as collaborative. Chairman Reese reviewed the public timeline and told viewers the redistricting project had been discussed at several public work sessions dating back to January; he urged constituents to attend meetings if they had questions about the maps. Dellinger said if the board'approved maps will be printed and posted on the district website and the Board of Elections will receive the files to begin candidate filing and ballot preparations for seats up in 2026.

The board will revisit the maps after the 2030 census, as required by state law.

Sources: Presentation by Taylor Dellinger, West Piedmont Council of Governments; statements by Chairman Reese and Board Members during the Aug. 11 open session.