NC Governor vetoes GOP election bill, setting up override clash.
North Carolina Governor Vetoes Republican-Led Election Bill
North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has taken a stand against a Republican-led bill that aims to make significant changes to the state’s election laws. The bill includes provisions regarding absentee voting and same-day registration.
In a bold move, Gov. Cooper vetoed the bill, but it is expected to be overridden by the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly.
In a passionate video message, the governor expressed his concerns, stating, “Right now, legislative Republicans in North Carolina are pushing an all-out assault on the right to vote.”
“This attack has nothing to do with election security and everything to do with keeping and gaining power.”
The controversial Senate Bill 747, which was passed by the legislature last week, proposes changes such as eliminating the three-day grace period for the receipt of absentee ballots. However, it extends the period for challenging such ballots to five days after the election.
The bill also introduces new requirements for same-day registrants, including the use of a “retrievable ballot” with a unique identifier. Additionally, it allows election observers to move freely about voting locations instead of being confined to a specific area.
Gov. Cooper criticized the bill, accusing Republicans of attempting to disenfranchise young and minority voters through the new absentee ballot restrictions. He stated, “They know that younger and nonwhite voters tend to vote more by absentee ballot or by early voting, so they shortened the time your absentee ballots can arrive and still count. And they made it easier to throw them out.”
The governor also pledged to veto another elections-related bill, Senate Bill 749, if it reaches his desk. This bill aims to shift the power to select members of the state’s elections board from the governor to the legislature and restructure the board to have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.
Republicans argue that these bills strengthen North Carolina’s elections and help prevent fraud. Republican state Sen. Warren Daniel of Burke County stated, “We are creating a secure election system that makes it easy to vote and protects election integrity. But Gov. Cooper wants his handpicked partisans running our elections, and he apparently feels threatened by North Carolinians observing what happens in their polling places.”
With Republicans holding a veto-proof supermajority in the state’s legislature, they have recently used their power to override the governor’s rejection of various bills, including those banning sex-reassignment surgeries for minors and male participation in female sports.
If enacted, most of the changes proposed by the election bills are likely to take effect in early 2024, just before voters weigh in on the presidential race.
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