Jacksonville residents are at risk of losing direct neighborhood representation.
HB 1038 proposes to eliminate the city’s ward-based election system and require all City Council members to be elected at-large. This would mean no specific area of Jacksonville would have guaranteed representation on the council.

Ward systems exist for a reason—they ensure that every part of a city has a voice at the table. They create accountability by making elected officials directly responsible to the communities they serve. Moving to an at-large system shifts that dynamic and can dilute the influence of smaller or underrepresented neighborhoods.

This is not just a technical change. It is a structural shift in how representation works in Jacksonville.

Adding to the concern, this proposal is being advanced by state legislators who do not reside within the City limits of Jacksonville. Decisions about how Jacksonville residents are represented should be driven by the people who live there.

Jacksonville deserves a system that protects neighborhood voices—not one that weakens them.

We call on the North Carolina General Assembly to reject HB 1038 and preserve Jacksonville’s ward-based system of representation.

We also call on local officials to publicly oppose this legislation and stand with the residents they serve.

Organized by ACTION-PAC