A final vote is expected today in the state Senate on a measure that would redraw the Wake County Board of Commissioners district boundaries.

Sen. Chad Barefoot told his colleagues Wednesday the new plan outlined in Senate Bill 181 would give small towns a greater voice at the local level. But opponents say the bill that redraws the lines and adds two new regional district seats would simply gerrymander the districts to give Republicans a majority on the board.

Senate Republicans used a procedural maneuver during yesterday’s debate to kill a proposed amendment by Senator Josh Stein that would have allowed Wake County voters to decide on redrawing the districts.

Barefoot’s bill comes just four months after Democrats swept Wake’s Board of Commissioners races last November.

If the bill wins approval today, it moves over to the state House for consideration. To hear lawmakers debate Senate Bill 181 and then table Stein’s amendment, click below:

