news-record.com

GREENSBORO — The N.C. Attorney General's office told Guilford County election officials what they already knew Thursday: They're "without power" to address problems with a redistricting law that leaves nearly 43,000 Guilford County voters without representation on the county's board of commissioners.

The Guilford County Board of Elections expressed their concerns to the State Board of Elections last week, which in turn asked the attorney general's office to weigh in on the problem.

In an "advisory letter" sent to the state board, Special Deputy Attorney Susan K. Nichols wrote:

"The problems that may arise because no commissioner will be elected to the District 6 seat or the at-large seat until 2014 may not be addressed by elections officials because they are without power under these circumstances to schedule an election that has not been authorized by statute or to schedule one for an earlier date."

Nichols went on to say the advisory letter had not been reviewed or approved in accordance with an actual formal opinion from the attorney general.

The letter does appear to be an acknowledgment of the problems created by the map.

State Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican and president pro tempore of the State Senate, said this week that he, his staff and state lawyers had not determined whether it was true that 43,000 voters would be without representation.

While offering no alternative reading of the law, Berger said the primary concern of the General Assembly is whether the redistricting holds up legally.

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com