Voting Districts Approved

At the August 11th meeting, Alexander County School Board members unanimously approved a plan from Taylor Dellinger with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments to redraw the school board voting districts. Redrawing the districts is required because of the 2020 census. The districts need to be approximately 5,206 voters with a plus-minus margin of five percent. The map developed by the WPCOG and the Alexander County Board of Elections led to seven districts with boundaries that follow roads and precinct lines as best as possible. Originally, Dellinger had hoped to have three proposals to bring before the board. But after the work from WPCOG and the board of elections, there was only one option to approve. 

Board Chair Matt Reese told voters that each member will be elected in specific districts but will still answer to all school families across the county. The purpose of the redistricting is to make sure that no district has more political influence than another. The timeline to approve the districts was important because in December, those who are running for office in 2026 will need to file to be on the ballot. The board of elections will now be responsible for making sure people know which school board district they will vote in.

The new districts would not affect where students go to school. 

In November 2024, Alexander County voters approved a referendum that requires the seven voting districts to be redrawn to match the 2020 census. The referendum also established that Alexander County School Board members must be elected by political party. 

Till this vote, the school board’s voting districts had not been updated since 2001.