North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed Republican legislation Thursday that would take away his powers to choose State Board of Elections members and give them to legislative leaders as the 2024 campaign cycle begins in the closely divided state.
Cooper already had signaled a veto was coming, which sets up override votes likely next month. The GOP has narrow veto-proof majorities in each chamber and the final bill passed the House and Senate last week on party-line votes.
The measure, if enforced, would remove from Cooper and future governors the ability to pick an elections board that contains a majority of appointees from their own party. For decades, the governor's party held a 3-2 seat advantage.
Republicans have said such division breeds distrust among voters about board decisions. Their proposal would increase the board to eight members and give the House speaker, the Senate leader and the minority party leaders in each chamber two seats to appoint.
That likely will give Democrats and Republicans four positions apiece. The bill sponsors contend having an even split will encourage bipartisan consensus in election decisions, building confidence for voters about outcomes.
In his veto message, Cooper said the legislation “could doom our state’s elections to gridlock” by promoting board stalemates that could lead to fewer early in-person voting sites and give the General Assembly or courts more chances to decide the outcomes of close elections.
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