RALEIGH, N.C. (6/27/2018) — The N.C. General Assembly finalized a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday to shift appointments of the state elections board from the governor to the legislature. Voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed change this fall.
In a statement, Democracy North Carolina Executive Director Tomas Lopez called the move a legislative effort to “remake North Carolina’s state elections board for their own partisan gain.”
“Rejected by the courts, lawmakers now want to create a state elections board tailor-made for partisan gridlock.” –Tomas Lopez, Democracy NC
“This constitutional amendment is legislative leaders’ third and most desperate effort in the last year to usurp the governor’s executive authority to administer elections and remake North Carolina’s state elections board for their own partisan gain,” said Lopez. “Rejected by the courts, lawmakers now want to create a state elections board tailor-made for partisan gridlock. This structure would pit equal numbers of Republicans against Democrats for critical voting access and security decisions— and completely ignore the voice of unaffiliated voters, who are now the second-largest group of registered voters in the state.”
Lopez added, “Like the General Assembly’s illegal voting districts, judicial attacks, and never-ending voting restrictions, this latest plan is yet another scheme designed to bend our election rules to entrench a permanent partisan advantage.”
Democracy North Carolina is a statewide nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to increase civic participation, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and remove systemic barriers to voting and serving in elected office.
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