N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-816.6
Upon receipt of a petition signed by at least fifty percent (50%) of the dairy producers in North Carolina known to the Association, the Department shall notify the Association and the Association shall, within six months, conduct a referendum upon the question of continuing the assessment. The referendum shall be conducted in the same manner as the initial referendum upon the question of whether an assessment shall be levied. If a majority of the votes cast in the referendum are against continuing the assessment, or if the Association fails to conduct a referendum within the six-month period, the assessment expires at the end of the six-month period. If a majority of the votes cast in the referendum are in favor of continuing the assessment, then no subsequent referendum shall be held for at least three years.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-816.6