North Carolina Republican lawmakers voted to pass a sweeping bill to strip key powers of the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general before the GOP loses its veto-proof supermajority in the Legislature next year.
The legislation would give the power to appoint members to the state elections board, which oversees the voting process in North Carolina, to the state auditor, an office that Republican Dave Bolick will hold after defeating incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes in November. 5 elections.
That power currently rests with the governor’s office, which will remain in Democratic hands after Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Republicans have long sought control of the state elections board, which is historically controlled by the same party as the governor, but courts have thwarted their previous efforts.
The legislation would also reduce the time for voters to correct ballot errors and require counties to count ballots more quickly.
These changes are just one part of a massive, 131-page bill that includes hurricane relief funding and will advance other Republican legislative priorities. The legislation was written behind closed doors and introduced as a committee option Tuesday morning, replacing a long-rejected bill about dental practices.
Both GOP-controlled houses passed it in just two days, although three Republicans opposed the measure in the House on Tuesday. After the Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, it heads to the desk of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who has criticized the measure As in “power grab”.
“State Board staff were not consulted about this important piece of legislation that transfers authority to the State Board of Elections and makes substantial administrative changes that may make it impossible for county election boards to ensure that every eligible The ballots need to be counted, especially in “high-turnout elections,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Elections Board, said in a statement.
After Wednesday’s vote, Senate Republican Phil Berger defended the bill, saying, “It’s all within our rules.” Raleigh News and Observer,
“We have expressed concerns for many years about how the Board of Elections is operating under the appointment of Roy Cooper,” Berger said“And we’ve tried on numerous occasions to put forward the idea that we need to create balance across the board that is responsible for counting votes and making decisions about elections. The Democrats have said, no, no, No, absolutely not. And so we decided it was time to step up and take action.”
North Carolina’s Board of Elections is currently split 3-2 in favor of Democrats.
The legislation also proposes to ban the attorney general, an office that Democrats also took control of in this month’s election, from taking legal positions contrary to the legislature. This would prevent the incoming state 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 powers in filling judicial vacancies and creating new Superior Court positions nominated by legislative leaders.
Republicans are on track to lose their supermajority in the Legislature result pending A recount was held in the state House race, in which the Democrat is currently ahead in a GOP-held district. This means they will be unable to override any future vetoes of Stein without Democratic support.
Stein replaces Cooper, whose administration has repeatedly clashed with the Republican-led Legislature in battleground states.
“Many people and communities are hurting and they need our help,” Stein said in a statement. post on x On Tuesday. “But instead of moving forward, Republicans in the General Assembly are seizing power and seeking political retribution.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
