What is on the table
Durham City Council is weighing four possible changes to how voters choose the mayor and council: eliminating the October primary, switching to a true ward system, extending the mayor's term from two years to four, and moving city elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.
The discussion came through a May 21 work session presentation listed as Overview of Durham Municipal Elections. The agenda did not list a vote, ordinance, or final action.
Why it came up
Cost is the immediate pressure point. Durham reimburses the county for running city elections in odd years, and those costs have climbed from $374,000 in 2017 to more than $800,000 in both 2023 and 2025. The five-year total was $3,248,786.
The 2025 election also included smaller bills for the 614 Wake County residents and 42 Orange County residents who live inside Durham city limits. Those out-of-county ballots added $20,754.27.
What would change
Dropping the primary would replace the current two-step system with one nonpartisan general election. Today, the top two finishers in each primary race move to the November ballot.
A true ward system would also be a major structural change. Durham has three ward seats and three at-large seats, plus the mayor. Ward candidates must live in their ward, but voters citywide currently vote in every ward race. Under a true ward system, only ward residents would choose that ward's council member.
Where council split
Eliminating the primary drew the broadest support. The mayoral term and ward proposals were more divided, with some council members arguing for more stability or neighborhood accountability and others warning that voters would lose citywide leverage.
Even-year elections may be the hardest sell. They could cut administrative costs by 70% or more and would put local races in higher-turnout years, but several council members worried local candidates would get buried under state and federal campaigns. Moving Durham city races to even years would need state legislative approval; the other changes could move through the city charter process. No timeline has been set.