Currituck commissioners vote to place 6-district-plus-one at-large map on November ballot

The Currituck County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 5 to put a 6-district plus one at-large electoral plan before voters on the November ballot, concluding a public hearing and brief board discussion.

Chair opened the hearing and clarified the board would not itself change how commissioners are elected but would present the choice to voters. Steve Hedrick, a candidate for county commission, urged careful consideration of representation for smaller communities. The board’s consultant and staff said the proposed districts were drawn to keep populations within about +/-5% and that some districts were sized to account for projected growth.

A commissioner moved to place the 6-district, one at-large option on the ballot; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote, with one commissioner voicing opposition. Commissioners stressed a guiding principle that the map should not be drawn to protect incumbents.

The measure gives Currituck voters a binary choice at the polls: keep the current at-large system or adopt the 6-district-plus-one at-large option. If the change is adopted, at-large seats would be replaced by district-based seats according to the chosen map; if it fails, the status quo remains.

The board did not finalize implementation details during the meeting; staff noted maps had been distributed to residents and explained the rationale for population deviations and growth-factor adjustments. The next formal public step will be the inclusion of the referendum question on the county’s November ballot.