Rebalancing City of Hickory Wards
The equal protection clause of the United States Constitution requires that where electoral districts are used, they must be substantially equal in population so that each person's vote counts about the same.
Municipalities in North Carolina, like Hickory, that use election districts are legally required to consider redistricting every 10 years following the U.S. decennial census to maintain a population balance among electoral districts.
Based on the 2020 Census, the City of Hickory grew from 40,010 to 43,490. In order to create six wards of basically the same population, 43,490 should be divided by six, equaling 7,248. Each ward’s ideal population should be within 5% of 7,248.
While redistricting is a hot topic and is regularly reported in the news, the City of Hickory’s ward rebalancing is completely unrelated to state and congressional redistricting.
The only time Hickory residents vote by ward is when a City Council primary is held, which occurs when three or more candidates file to run for the same City Council seat. If only one or two candidates file to run, no primary election is held.
City Council general elections are considered “at large,” meaning residents vote for all six City Council members, regardless of the ward in which they live.
City Council members not only serve the residents of the ward they represent, they serve the residents of the entire City of Hickory, regardless of ward boundaries.
City of Hickory Ward Maps:
- Current Ward Map
- Proposed Ward Map - Option A
- Proposed Ward Map - Option B
- Proposed Ward Map - Option C
- Interactive Map
Additional Resources:
Hickory City Council Redistricting Workshop 9-21-21: