RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation over the governor’s veto that would limit the powers given to his successor and other statewide Democratic winners in the Nov. 5 election.
By a vote of 72-46, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, a week after the Republican-controlled Senate voted to do the same.
Just as during the vote in the Senate, opponents of the bill on the power shift were in the stands and disrupted the proceedings in the chambers. More than 150 people gathered on the third floor – more than there was room in the House gallery. They chanted “shame” as the override vote concluded and continued to shout as they were escorted out.
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Many provisions in the 132-page law are intended to reduce the powers granted to Governor-elect Josh Stein, new Attorney General Jeff Jackson, the next Democratic lieutenant governor and the school superintendent. They will all take office early next month. One of the most significant changes is that the power to appoint members of the State Board of Elections will shift from the governor to the state auditor, who will be Republican next year.
For decades, the governor has chosen his five members, with the governor’s party typically taking three seats. The adopted law transfers that authority to the state auditor starting in the spring. This, in turn, means that Republicans will likely have a majority in the state legislature and county election boards.
The veto override occurred in the final days of a lame-duck General Assembly session, where Republicans held exactly the number of seats needed to override vetoes without help from Democrats.
That won’t be the case for much longer — barring a successful election protest that would reverse the outcome of a race — after Democrats gained another seat in the House of Representatives in the general election.
Despite ultimately succeeding in their overthrow, House Republicans had some difficulty staying united. Some Republican lawmakers from western North Carolina — where Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding — initially voted against the measure. But all three — Reps. Mike Clampitt, Karl Gillespie and Mark Pless — ultimately voted to override the veto.
Some of the criticism of the bill has focused on the $252 million in Helene recovery funds attached to it, most of which cannot be spent until the General Assembly takes action again.
In his veto message, Cooper called the bill a sham in which Republicans used Helene and “disaster relief” in the title to mask an unconstitutional political power grab — a message that House Democrats echoed on the floor.
