It is clear that Rocky Mount needs leadership elected by the whole city, accountable to the whole city, and willing to place the public good ahead of private agendas.
Under the current ward-only voting system, City Council members are elected by a small portion of the electorate while making decisions that affect the entire city.
This system is not required by state law. It exists by local choice, and it can be changed.
North Carolina law provides two legal paths for changing how City Council members are elected. The first is action by the City Council itself.
Council may adopt an ordinance or place a referendum before voters restoring citywide elections. In theory, this is a straightforward process.
In practice, it is unlikely. Sitting council members benefit directly from ward-only elections, including lower turnout and reduced accountability. Asking elected officials to voluntarily weaken their own political position is unrealistic, and the conflict of interest is obvious.
At the same time, some council members may be as frustrated as the public is by being judged collectively for the actions of a few and may welcome a system that clarifies accountability and restores public trust.
When a governing structure protects those in power from accountability, Rocky Mount citizens have reason to demand change. A citywide vote can bring that change.
The second path places authority where it ultimately belongs, with the citizens of Rocky Mount.
Residents may organize a formal petition and require the city to place the question of citywide voting on the ballot for a public referendum.
North Carolina law sets the petition threshold at approximately ten percent of a city’s registered voters.
In Rocky Mount, that translates into several thousand valid signatures. While the exact number must be confirmed with the Nash and Edgecombe County Boards of Elections at the time a petition is filed, current voter registration totals indicate that the requirement would fall in the range of roughly three to four thousand verified signatures.
Because some signatures are typically disqualified during verification, successful petition efforts do not aim for the minimum. They plan to collect 15 to 20 percent more signatures to ensure the threshold is met.
This requirement is not incidental. It exists to ensure that changes to a city’s governing structure reflect broad, citywide support.
Citywide elections strengthen accountability and encourage leadership that must answer to the entire community. Council decisions shape every neighborhood, not just individual wards.
Because this authority is exercised citywide, citizens should be able to vote for every candidate who carries it.
Limiting voters to a single ward-based choice leaves them governed by officials they had no opportunity to elect.
For a change in how Rocky Mount elects its leaders to appear on the 2027 ballot, preparation cannot wait until the election year itself. The work must be done earlier, on a clear and lawful timeline.
In early to mid-2026, petition language would need to be finalized and approved for circulation.
Mid to late-2026 is the period when signatures would be gathered and submitted.
Late-2026 allows time for verification and legal review.
If these steps are completed, a referendum could appear on the 2027 ballot alongside the mayoral race and three City Council elections. This timeline is tight, but it is entirely doable if groundwork begins now.
At this point, the path is clear. The law provides the mechanism, the timeline is known, and the stakes of the 2027 election are visible. What remains is not agreement, but initiation.
Main Street Rocky Mount 
How can we get this petition started? We need an organized group to start making changes. I’m new to Rocky Mount, bought my first home here, and have been nothing but disappointed in our leadership. I’m ready to DO something about it.
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Hold that thought while these proposed changes get some legs from readership. We gotta do it!
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