The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 6, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Before a new Democratic governor takes office in January and it loses its supermajority, the GOP-controlled North Carolina legislature used a hurricane relief bill to strip power from the governor and attorney general.  The draconian changes hinge on a pending veto override vote in the state House.

The bare-knuckle bill was short on hurricane relief, and long on keeping power out of the hands of Democrats.  Earlier this year, a 2023 bill attempting to strip the power of the governor to appoint county election boards was struck down by the state’s court of appeals.   Now, Senate Bill 382 tries to remove that power by shifting it to the incoming state auditor, a Republican. 

In his veto message, current Governor Roy Cooper called the bill “a sham” and unconstitutional, and Democrats have declared it an outrageous power grab. The bill also includes a proposed constitutional amendment requiring voter ID for mail-in ballots, and bans the attorney general from opposing the legislature in court.  

The state senate voted December 2nd to override Cooper’s veto, and the House vote is pending.  North Carolina Newsline reports that it’s unclear whether Republicans have the vote in the House to override, with three House GOP lawmakers unhappy with inadequate hurricane relief funding, having voted against the original bill.  

We have the text of the bill and great local reporting linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NC General Assembly – SENATE BILL 382: Disaster Relief-3/Budget/Various Law Changes.

Courthouse News Service – North Carolina Republicans blasted for using lame-duck session to wrest control of government
Gov. Roy Cooper – Statement on his veto of SB382
NC Newsline – Despite protests, NC Senate overrides Cooper’s veto of bill that shifts executive power
WUNC – Lame-duck NC Senate approves constitutional amendment ballot measures alongside veto override
WRAL – Amid protests, Senate overrides Cooper’s veto of bill stripping power from governor, other Democratic officials
The News & Observer – Will NC Republicans have the votes to override Cooper’s veto of powers-stripping bill?

Groups Taking Action:

Democracy North Carolina, League of Women Voters NC, Common Cause NC

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NorthCarolina #PowerGrab #SB382

The post Before it Loses its Supermajority, the North Carolina Legislature Strips Election Powers from Its Governor, Bans AG from Opposing the Legislature.  Will the House Override the Veto? appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 17, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

Today’s Links

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We have updates on two North Carolina election bills designed to consolidate partisan power.  HB 747 and 749 were vetoed by the governor, but overridden by the legislature on Oct. 10th.  

Last month we reported on HB 749, which removes the governor’s power to appoint members to the state and county election boards, and gives that authority to the legislature.  Like the toothless U.S. Federal Election Commission, the state election board now has equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, so a deadlock likely means few decisions and no accountability.  Governor Roy Cooper vetoed the bill, but the veto was overridden by the legislature.

The same day, the legislature overrode Cooper’s veto of HB 747, a voter suppression bill shortening the number of days when mail-in ballots could be received, creating a pilot program for notoriously inaccurate signature matching on those mail ballots, limiting notifications to a voter before removal from the voter rolls, allowing poll observers to take pictures of voters in the polling place, and loosening restrictions on who can “challenge” another voter’s ballot, among other voter suppression tactics.

WRAL reports that the day of the override, two federal lawsuits were filed against the state, claiming the limitations on voter notification disenfranchises thousands of voters, and the election day registration restrictions target Black and Hispanic voters. 

We have more on these bills, their frightening impact, and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – With a Partisan State Supreme Court and Veto-Proof Majority, North Carolina Legislature Poised to Take Control of the State Election Board
North Carolina Legislature – Ratified Text for SB 749
Associated Press – N.C. legislature gives final OK to election board changes; governor’s veto expected
Democracy Docket – Ignoring 62% of Voters, North Carolina Republicans Overhaul Elections Board With Senate Bill 749
Democracy Docket – Unpacking North Carolina Republicans’ Voter Suppression Bill S.B. 747
The Carolina Journal – NC legislature adds to growing list of overridden Cooper vetoes: elections, energy, and regulatory reform
WRAL – Voting rights groups sue over new NC elections law, seeking to block changes for 2024

NC Newsline – Overriding Gov. Cooper’s vetoes, the NC legislature makes it harder to vote, easier to pollute.

Groups Taking Action:
Voto Latino, Down Home North Carolina, North Carolina Black Alliance, Democracy North Carolina, North Carolina Voter, ACLU North Carolina

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NorthCarolinaPolitics #VoterSuppression #FreedomtoVote

The post North Carolina Legislature Overrides Governor’s Vetoes of Voter Suppression and State Election Board Bills appeared first on American Democracy Minute.