North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers voted to strip the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of key powers, passing a sweeping bill before the GOP lost its veto power in the Legislature next year.
The legislation would give North Carolina the power to appoint members of the state board of elections, which oversees voting, to the state auditor, who will be replaced by Republican Dave Boliek after he defeats incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes in November. 5 elections.
That power currently rests with the governor’s office and will remain in Democratic hands after Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Republicans have long sought to control the State Board of Elections, which has historically been controlled by the same party as the governor, but the courts have thwarted their past efforts.
The legislation would also shorten the time voters have to correct ballot errors and require counties to count ballots faster.
The changes are just one part of a larger 131-page bill that would include funding for hurricane relief and advance several other Republican legislative priorities. The legislation was written behind closed doors and introduced in committee Tuesday morning as a substitute, replacing the long-abandoned dental practices bill.
Both GOP-controlled chambers passed it in just two days, though three House Republicans opposed the measure on Tuesday. After the Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, it heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. criticized the event like a “power grab”.
“State Board staff were not consulted on this important piece of legislation that devolves the State Board of Elections and makes significant administrative changes that would make it impossible for county boards of elections to adequately count every eligible voter. high turnout elections,” said State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell.
After Wednesday’s vote, Senate Republican Phil Berger defended the bill, saying it was “all within the rules we have.” Raleigh News & Observer.
“We have been expressing concern for several years about the way the Board of Elections is operating under Roy Cooper’s appointees.” Berger said. “And we’ve repeatedly tried to push for balance on the board that’s responsible for counting votes and making election decisions. The Democrats said no, no, hell no. And so we decided it was time for us to go ahead and take action. “.
North Carolina’s board of elections is currently split 3-2 in favor of Democrats.
The legislation also proposes to bar the attorney general, an office Democrats also controlled in this month’s election, from taking legal positions that conflict with the Legislature’s authority. That would prevent the state’s new attorney general, Jeff Jackson, from refusing to defend laws passed by the Legislature, as Stein did with the state’s new law. abortion law last year.
The new bill would also take away some of the governor’s authority to fill judicial vacancies and create new Supreme Court positions nominated by legislative leaders.
Republicans are on track to lose their supermajority in the legislature waiting for the result A recount in a state House race in which a Democrat currently leads a GOP-held district. That means they won’t be able to override Stein’s future vetoes without Democrats’ support.
Stein succeeds Cooper, whose administration has repeatedly clashed with the Republican-led Legislature on the battlefield.
“Many people and communities are suffering and need our help,” Stein said Type in X on tuesday. “But instead of getting stronger, Republicans in the General Assembly are seizing power and demanding political revenge.”