North Carolina GOP lawmakers vote to strip incoming Democratic leaders' powers
North Carolina Republican lawmakers voted to strip the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of key powers.
North Carolina Republican lawmakers voted to strip the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of key powers, passing a sweeping bill before the GOP most likely loses its veto-proof supermajority in the Legislature next year.
The legislation would grant the authority to appoint members to the state's election board, which oversees the voting process in North Carolina, to the state auditor, an office that will be held by Republican Dave Boliek after he defeated incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes in the Nov. 5 election.
That power currently lies 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 Board of Elections, which is historically controlled by the same party as the governor, but the courts have foiled their past efforts.
The legislation would also shorten the time for voters to fix ballot errors and require counties to count ballots more rapidly.
The changes are just one part of a massive, 131-page bill that includes hurricane relief funding and would advance a spate of other Republican legislative priorities. The law was written behind closed doors and introduced as a committee substitute Tuesday morning, replacing a long-discarded bill about dental practices.
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