North Carolina’s governor just killed a bill that would cross-check voter rolls against death records, and Republicans say they have the votes to override him.
Democrat Gov. Josh Stein vetoed House Bill 958 on Monday, rejecting a sweeping election reform package in one of the nation’s most contested battleground states. The legislation would have required election officials to verify that registered voters are actually alive before counting their ballots.
GOP lawmakers aren’t backing down. According to WSOC Charlotte, Republicans hold enough seats to override Stein’s veto. The bill passed along party lines.
“House Bill 958 continues practical election reforms so we all can have greater confidence that every lawful vote in North Carolina is counted fairly and accurately,” said Rep. Hugh Blackwell, the bill’s Republican sponsor. “Gov. Stein’s veto of this legislation puts politics ahead of common sense and the peace of mind voters should have when they cast their ballots.”
The bill goes far beyond checking death records. It would require the state auditor to conduct post-election audits and publish annual reports on election integrity. State and county boards of elections would be required to remove ineligible voters from rolls and update addresses for eligible ones. Officials could enter data-sharing agreements with other states to cross-check voting records.
The legislation also tackles early voting and ballot security. Early votes cast in person would need to be counted by the time polls close on Election Day. Voters without photo ID would receive provisional ballots. Any registered voter could challenge the legitimacy of a vote or voter registration, with appeals available through Superior Court.
Foreign nationals would be banned from donating to referendum campaigns under the bill. Several other states have already enacted similar bans on foreign contributions to ballot measures.
Critics of the legislation claim it could lead to eligible voters being purged from rolls. They also object to changes in campaign finance disclosure requirements. The bill raises the threshold for reporting contributions, loans, and expenditures from $1,000 to $3,000, which opponents say reduces transparency.
But Republicans argue that basic election security measures shouldn’t be controversial. Cross-checking voter rolls with death records is standard practice in many states. Requiring photo ID or provisional ballots is hardly radical. And allowing citizens to challenge suspicious registrations puts power back in the hands of everyday voters.
The veto sets up a showdown in the legislature. If Republicans follow through on the override, North Carolina will join other states that have strengthened election integrity laws in recent years. If the veto stands, the state will head into future elections without the safeguards the bill would have provided.
