Charlotte City Council, mayoral elections are delayed until 2022. Here’s why.

All Charlotte City Council elections, including the mayoral race, are delayed until 2022 — as some had expected to happen all along, despite a recent curveball from the General Assembly.

The City Council on Monday approved a municipal elections plan that lumps together the mayor, at-large and district races in the spring, allowing current office holders to keep their positions past their intended two-year terms.

Having all three elections at the same time wasn’t guaranteed. The City Council also deliberated the possibility of splitting elections with mayor and at-large representative races this year with district representatives elected next spring, as the redistricting process remains on hold.

But council members voted to keep the elections together.

Council members Malcolm Graham, Reneé Johnson, Matt Newton, Greg Phipps and Braxton Winston voted against bifurcation. The Council’s two Republican members, Ed Driggs and Tariq Bokhari, voted to bifurcate the election cycle. Council members Larken Egleston, Julie Eiselt, Dimple Ajmera and Victoria Watlington did not attend Monday’s meeting.

The decision on how to handle the muncipal election was triggered by delayed census data that is needed to redraw City Council district maps. The information, initially expected to be released three months ago, will not be available until September.

New state legislation, which took effect Monday without Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature, tried to address the problem by delaying municipal elections until 2022 in 30 cities and towns, including Charlotte, Greensboro and Fayetteville. But the law introduced a key caveat: at-large and mayoral races can be held this year after all, since they are not contingent on redistricting.

The prospect of split elections led to bitter sparring among Council members, which lead Mayor Vi Lyles to call for a recess. Tensions were high after Charlotte residents, local party leaders and activists also spoke during public forum — raising concerns about voter disenfranchisement and unnecessary costs to taxpayers, among other issues.

Ryan Bergman, Charlotte’s budget director, said split elections could cost the city an extra $340,000, due to the city’s obligation to pay part of the county Board of Elections’ annual budget. Elections officials cautioned the bill might be higher, depending on the number of primaries and polling locations that are needed.

This is a developing story and will be updated.