Breaking down why the wards were redrawn in Lexington
On March 8, 2022, the Lexington Municipal election will be held. The mayor and council seats in Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 are up for election.
According to state and federal law, voting wards are required to have fair representation. There is a 5 percent maximum deviation from completely equal distribution allowed. The 2020 Census revealed a new distribution of races that has increased diversity in Lexington causing the ward lines to be redrawn.
The wards of Lexington have not been redone since 2000 when minor changes occurred. Before the 2020 census, the districts were allowed a 10 percent maximum deviation from equal distribution, but because of the change, more action needed to occur.
According to Tammy Absher, director of Business and Community Development for the city of Lexington, along with federal and state laws, Lexington is also under a ruling from a 1987 court case. In it, the local NAACP called for a movement to a ward system instead of at-large voting, as they felt Black citizens weren’t able to be elected due to how the system was set up. In this case, it became a requirement for two of Lexington’s six wards to have a majority (65 percent) Black population.
City officials invited representatives from the NAACP to be part of the redistricting process. It consisted of three meetings to draft and discuss how the wards will change, helped by a mapping system letting the contributors see and explore their changes. These sessions lasted two to three hours. Afterwards, there was one review session to look at what had been decided. Absher emphasized her gratitude for the help the NAACP gave in this process, stating that the final product wouldn’t have been as good if they had not helped.
On Monday, December 6 at 9a.m, the Lexington City Council will hold a public hearing in a specially called meeting. It will take place at City Hall located at 28 W. Center St., Lexington. At this meeting, their hope is to approve the voting wards, as the filing period for the Lexington City Schools Board of Education begins on December 6. Their election will be on March 8, 2022, as well, but has a different filing date (city of Lexington’s filing dates are in January) due to state legislation.
To see the proposed ward changes, click here.
Stay tuned to Davidson Local for recurring updates regarding filing periods, candidates and elections.
