                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ALTERNATIVE FOR BIENNIAL COUNTY SUPERVISOR ELECTIONS AND STAGGERED TERMS (§
24.2-219)

A. The governing body of any county may by ordinance provide that the county
board of supervisors be elected biennially for staggered four-year terms.
			In lieu of an ordinance by the board of supervisors, the registered voters of
the county may file a petition with the circuit court of the county requesting
that a referendum be held on the question of whether the county board of
supervisors should be elected biennially for staggered four-year terms. The
petition shall be signed by registered voters equal in number to at least ten
percent of the number registered in the county on the January 1 preceding its
filing.
			The court pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7; 24.2-682 and 24.2-684 shall order the
election officials on a day fixed in the order to conduct a referendum on the
question. The clerk of the court shall publish notice of the referendum in a
newspaper having general circulation in the county once a week for four
consecutive weeks and shall post a copy of the notice at the door of the
courthouse of the county. The question on the ballot shall be:
			&#8220;Shall the members of the county board of supervisors be elected
biennially for staggered four-year terms?
			[ ] Yes
			[ ] No&#8221;
			The referendum shall be held and the results certified as provided in &#xA7;
24.2-684.

B. If a majority of the voters voting in the referendum voted for biennial
election of the members of the board of supervisors for staggered four-year
terms, or if the governing body has so provided by ordinance, then the terms of
supervisors elected at the next general election for supervisors shall be as
follows:

   1. If the number of supervisors elected in the county is an even number, half
   of the successful candidates shall be elected for terms of four years and half
   of the successful candidates shall be elected for terms of two years; or

   2. If the number of supervisors in the county is an odd number, the smallest
   number of candidates which creates a majority of the elected supervisors shall
   be elected for terms of four years and all other successful candidates shall
   be elected for terms of two years.
   				Unless the number of members who volunteer to take two-year terms exactly
   equals the number of two-year terms to be assigned, the electoral board of the
   county shall assign the individual terms of members by lot at its meeting on
   the day following the election and immediately upon certification of the
   results. However, the electoral board may assign individual terms of members
   by election district in a drawing at a meeting held prior to the last day for
   a person to qualify as a candidate, if the governing body of the county so
   directs by ordinance or resolution adopted at least thirty days prior to the
   last day for qualification and members are elected by district. In all
   elections thereafter all successful candidates shall be elected for terms of
   four years.
   				In any county where the chairman of the board is elected from the county
   at large pursuant to &#xA7; 15.2-503 or &#xA7; 15.2-802, the provisions of
   this section shall not affect that office. The chairman of the board shall be
   elected for a term of four years in 1995 and every four years thereafter.

C. If the representation on the board of supervisors among the election
districts is reapportioned, or the number of districts is diminished or the
boundaries of the districts are changed, elections shall be held in each new
district at the general election next preceding the expiration of the term of
the office of the member of the board representing the predecessor district of
each new district. If the number of districts is increased, the electoral board
shall assign a two-year or four-year term for each new district so as to
maintain as equal as practicable the number of members to be elected at each
biennial election.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 24-157; 1968, c. 639; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-88; 1971, Ex.
Sess., c. 265; 1973, c. 30; 1976, c. 616; 1981, c. 12; 1982, c. 650; 1993, c.
641; 2011, c. 455.