North Carolina Republicans override veto on election control measure

North Carolina lawmakers have voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of an election-related measure that the governor calls a “threat to democracy.”

The bill in question, SB 749, overhauled the state’s elections by establishing bipartisan election boards. Instead of state and county elections boards being controlled by the party of the governor, they will now be appointed with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, which could create gridlock when deciding early-voting locations or certifying the election results.

Republican state lawmakers hold a three-fifths majority in the state legislature, which gives them the power to override Cooper’s vetoes. The state Senate on Tuesday voted 30-19 to override the veto, and the House voted 72-44 to do the same. The bill is likely to face legal challenges.

Cooper said that the legislation could pose a risk to elections in the state in a scathing statement notifying the legislature of his veto last month.

“The legislative takeover of state and local elections boards could doom our state’s elections to gridlock and severely limit early voting. It also creates a grave risk that Republican legislators or courts would be empowered to change the results of an election if they don’t like the winner,” he wrote at the time. 

“That’s a serious threat to our democracy, particularly after the nation just saw a presidential candidate try to strongarm state officials into reversing his losing election results. Courts have already ruled the ideas in this bill unconstitutional, and voters overwhelmingly said no when the legislature tried to change the constitution,” he continued.

The state legislature also overrode another elections bill that Cooper vetoed last month, which will reduce the period of time an absentee ballot can be received in order to count.  It also increases signature scrutiny and other measures that advocates say would result in fewer rightful votes being counted.

At the time, Cooper said that the bill had “nothing to do with election security and everything to do with Republicans keeping and gaining power.”

“It encourages voter intimidation at the polls by election deniers and conspiracy believers. North Carolina has conducted fair and secure elections but this bill will block voters and their ballots unnecessarily,” he wrote.