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Resident urges Alleghany County to support raising state age of consent to 18
Summary
Joseph Nelson, a county resident, told commissioners he is organizing statewide advocacy after a 2023 bill to raise North Carolina's age of consent to 18 stalled; he asked the board to publicly support raising the age with close-in-age exemptions and to urge state lawmakers to act.
Joseph Nelson, speaking during the public comment period, urged the Alleghany County Board of Commissioners to publicly support raising North Carolina's age of consent from 16 to 18 with appropriate close-in-age exemptions.
"I'm asking that the board publicly support raising the age of consent in North Carolina from 16 to 18, with appropriate close-in-age exemptions," Nelson said, urging the board to communicate that support to state representatives and to consider adding the issue to a future county agenda so it does not "quietly die in committee."
Nelson told commissioners a 2023 bill to raise the age had sponsors and "a path" but "quietly died in committee," and he said the discrepancy between what many parents think the law requires and what the statute allows creates risks for children. He emphasized that any change should include close-in-age protections to avoid criminalizing consensual teenage relationships.
No county action was taken during the meeting on the request; Nelson asked the board to take a public position and to convey that position to state legislators so local leadership can support advocacy efforts.
