North Carolina General Statute § 153A-34 requires each county to be governed by a board of commissioners; these commissioners are elected by the voters. To be eligible to serve as a county commissioner, you must reside in the county you wish to serve, be a registered voter and be at least 21 years of age. There are no other formal requirements, and there are no limitations on how many terms a commissioner can serve.
The 100 boards of county commissioners across the state are made up of 587 members, elected to terms of 2 or 4 years using a variety of election methods.
- Board Size: 5 members: 60 counties; 6 members: 2 counties; 7 members: 33 counties; 8 members: 1 county; 9 members: 4 counties
- Term Length: 2 years: 1 county; 4 years: 91 counties; variable based on rank among winners: 8 counties
- Term Structure: Staggered: 94 counties; concurrent: 6 counties
- Chair Selection: Elected by the voters: 3 counties; selected by commissioners: 96 counties; dependent on rank among winners: 1 county
- Representation: Purely at large: 39 counties; some use of residency districts: 61 counties
- Voting Type: Standard, 95 counties; limited voting: 5 counties
- Election Cycles: In Quadrennial A years (2024, 2028, etc.), 97 counties elect 296 commissioners; in Quadrennial B years (2022, 2026, etc.), 98 counties elect 309 commissioners. In addition to these regularly schedule elections, counties also hold elections in both A and B years for seats that have become vacant with an unexpired term.
County Election Data
The table (below) summarizes the election method used by each county. The following data and research on county elections is generated by the NCACC Policy team.
| County | Terms of Office | Commissioners | Election Method | Combined Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Alexander | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Alleghany | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Anson | 4 years, staggered | 7 | By district at large | |
| Ashe | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Avery | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Beaufort | 4 years, staggered | 7 | At large using limited voting | |
| Bertie | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Bladen | 4 years, staggered | 9 | Combination with partial limited voting | 3 at-large seats elected with limited voting; voters receive 1 vote among the 3 seats. Districted seats elected purely by district without limited voting. |
| Brunswick | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Buncombe | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (1 seat, chairman) and purely by district (6 seats) |
| Burke | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Cabarrus | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Caldwell | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Camden | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (2 seats) and by district at large (3 seats) |
| Carteret | 4 years, staggered | 7 | By district at large | |
| Caswell | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (5 seats) |
| Catawba | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Chatham | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Cherokee | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Chowan | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (1 seat) and purely by district (6 seats) |
| Clay | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Cleveland | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Columbus | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Craven | 4 years, concurrent | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Cumberland | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (5 seats) |
| Currituck | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (2 seats) and by district at large (5 seats) |
| Dare | 4 years, staggered | 7 | By district at large | |
| Davidson | 4 years, staggered | 7 | At large | |
| Davie | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Duplin | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Purely by district | |
| Durham | 4 years, concurrent | 5 | At large | |
| Edgecombe | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Forsyth | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (1 seat) and by district at large (6 seats) |
| Franklin | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (5 seats) |
| Gaston | 4 years, staggered | 7 | By district at large | |
| Gates | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Graham | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Granville | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Greene | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Guilford | 4 years, staggered | 9 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (1 seat) and purely by district (8 seats) |
| Halifax | 4 years, staggered | 6 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (3 seats) and purely by district (3 seats) |
| Harnett | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Purely by district | |
| Haywood | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Henderson | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Hertford | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Hoke | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Hyde | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Iredell | 2 or 4 years*, staggered [All 4-year terms as of 2026] | 5 | At large | |
| Jackson | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Johnston | 4 years, staggered | 7 | By district at large | |
| Jones | 4 years, concurrent | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Lee | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (3 seats) and purely by district (4 seats) |
| Lenoir | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (5 seats) |
| Lincoln | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Macon | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Madison | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Martin | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Purely by district using limited voting. | Voters in Eastern District cast 2 votes for the 3 seats; voters in Western District cast 1 vote for the 2 seats |
| McDowell | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Mecklenburg | 2 years, concurrent | 9 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (3 seats) and by district at large (6 seats) |
| Mitchell | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Montgomery | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (3 seats) |
| Moore | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Nash | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Purely by district | |
| New Hanover | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Northampton | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Onslow | 4 years, staggered | 7 | At large | |
| Orange | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and hybrid | At large (2 seats) and hybrid (5 seats). For the 5 districted seats, primary elections are conducted purely by district and general elections are conducted by district at large. |
| Pamlico | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (2 seats) and purely by district (5 seats) |
| Pasquotank | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (3 seats) and purely by district (4 seats) |
| Pender | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Perquimans | 4 years, staggered | 6 | At large using limited voting | |
| Person | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Pitt | 4 years, staggered | 9 | Purely by district | |
| Polk | 4 years as of 2024, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Randolph | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Richmond | 4 years, staggered | 7 | At large | |
| Robeson | 4 years, staggered | 8 | Purely by district | |
| Rockingham | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Rowan | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Rutherford | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Sampson | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Purely by district | |
| Scotland | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (1 seat) and by district at large (6 seats) |
| Stanly | 4 years except as noted, staggered | 7 | Combination of at large and by district at large | At large (2 seats) and by district at large (5 seats) |
| Stokes | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Surry | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Swain | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Transylvania | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Tyrrell | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large using limited voting | |
| Union | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Vance | 4 years, staggered | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Wake | 4 years, staggered | 7 (9 as of 2026) | Purely by district. Election method changed as of 2024 by S.L. 2023-30. | |
| Warren | 4 years, staggered | 5 | By district at large | |
| Washington | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (1 seat) and purely by district (4 seats) |
| Watauga | 4 years, staggered | 5 | Purely by district. Election method changed as of 2024 by S.L. 2023-147. | |
| Wayne | 4 years, concurrent | 7 | Combination of at large and purely by district | At large (1 seat) and purely by district (6 seats) |
| Wilkes | 4 years, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Wilson | 4 years, concurrent | 7 | Purely by district | |
| Yadkin | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large | |
| Yancey | 2 or 4 years*, staggered | 5 | At large |
* See notes in pdf under Quadrennial A and B years.
(Updated March 2024)
Contact
For more information about NCACC’s data resources or for help with county data questions, please contact Director of Research and Fiscal Policy Denise Canada.