NC Republicans Override SB382 Veto, Complete Power-Grab Move
Bill called "sham" by governor, "vengeful" by NCDP chair
The NC House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s Nov. 26 veto of Senate Bill 382 (SB382), ostensibly named a “Disaster Relief Bill,” which strips powers away from incoming Democrats.
The override passed in a 72-46 vote along party lines, with Democratic Reps. Cecil Brockman and Joe John absent from the chamber on Wednesday. The bill is now law.
“Another horrible day at the legislature,” wrote NC Rep. Julie von Haefen in a tweet on Wednesday night. “72 House Republicans stood united in voting to override the veto of a sham bill which ignores the needs of Western NC and shamelessly dismisses the will of the voters. This power grab is disgraceful. I am angry – and you should be too.”
Republicans in the NC General Assembly fast-tracked the bill on Nov. 19, approving it just a few hours after releasing the 137-page bill. SB382 strips authority from statewide positions to be held by Democrats in the coming year, including the attorney general’s office (NC AGO), governor and more.
Before US Rep. Jeff Jackson takes over the role of attorney general in January, this bill bans the NC AGO from making any argument invalidating state law passed by the GOP-led legislature. It also strips the governor’s control over the State Board of Elections, shifting appointment authority to the state auditor’s office, a position that will be held by a Republican come January.
Gov. Cooper called the bill a “sham” in a statement announcing his veto on Nov. 26, pointing out that the bill does not send money to western North Carolina for hurricane relief as it claims but merely shuffles it from one fund to another in Raleigh while violating the state constitution by taking appointments away from the next governor, Utilities Commission and commander of the NC Highway Patrol.
His concern toward the bill was originally shared by three Republican representatives from western North Carolina counties — Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), and Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) — who voted against the bill. Pless said in a statement that “the bill appears to do nothing for western NC.”
All three did vote for the veto override on Wednesday despite no changes being made.
“Western North Carolina small businesses and communities still wait for support from the legislature while Republicans make political power grabs the priority,” Cooper said in a statement following the veto’s override. “Shameful.”
Several organizations released statements condemning the veto’s override on Wednesday.
“Drastic changes like these need to be researched, studied, and consulted by experts and people who run our elections, including the State Board and county boards — not behind closed doors in a rushed process that leaves no opportunity for meaningful public comment,” wrote Democracy North Carolina Policy Director Katelin Kaiser. “Without these actions, what is going on can only be described as intentional voter suppression and a power grab.
“Eligible voters across North Carolina have spoken, and we must respect these results,” Kaiser continued. “We can connect the dots. We are not fools. Like these election protests, SB382 is not about election result certainty or accuracy, it is about deliberately erecting barriers to silence specific voters they know oppose their harmful agenda and to disenfranchise voters when results do not go as planned. This can’t be how our democracy works.”
A release from Kaiser’s nonpartisan democracy advocacy organization warned that the bill will erode public trust in elections and give unfettered oversight of core government functions to partisan politicians.
The release pointed out that SB382 requires counties to count all Election Day mail ballots in an ongoing meeting at 5 p.m. and announce the final count within just three days, a drastic change from the current 10-day limit. Over 24,000 mail ballots were received on Election Day 2024 along with 6,000 provisional ballots, which will be subject to the same changes moving forward.
Democracy NC believes the bill will result in votes not being counted for a significant number of eligible voters, particularly young adults, seniors and disabled people. The change to provisional votes will also disproportionately affect Black voters, subjecting them to disenfranchisement, the organization pointed out.
“This bill is a farce and a last-ditch effort to grab power before the Republican supermajority is broken,” wrote Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators. “It does absolutely nothing to help our schools, educators, children, or the people of Western North Carolina who are still grappling with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“Worse, it undermines the will of North Carolinians, who made their voices heard this past fall by electing new leadership,” Kelly’s statement continues. “This legislation reflects neither the needs nor the desires of the people of our state.”
In a separate statement, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton called the bill an act of revenge on the people of North Carolina for electing Democrats instead of extreme GOP candidates.
“Instead of respecting the will of the people, the GOP went into a smoke-filled backroom and crafted a vengeful bill that gutted the powers of those offices and gave them to Republicans instead – and in their cowardice, they hid it behind the guise of a Hurricane Helene relief bill.”
