Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Emily Vespa.
Republican lawmakers overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill that strips power from incoming executive branch Democrats on Wednesday in the last vote before they lose their veto-proof supermajority next month.
The wide-ranging bill is now law. The Senate overrode the veto of Senate Bill 382, which was drafted in secret and bypassed the typical committee process, last week.
Leading up to the House vote on Wednesday, it wasn’t clear whether three Western North Carolina Republicans who previously voted against the bill would flip to support it. Top Republicans publicly urged supporters to tell their representatives to vote for the override throughout the day Wednesday. All three holdouts joined their party to push the override through, report Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Avi Bajpai and Korie Dean.
SB 382 will, among other things:
Take the power to appoint members of the State Board of Elections from the incoming governor, Democrat Josh Stein, and give it to the next state auditor, Republican Dave Boliek
Prohibit Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, from taking a position in court contrary to that of the General Assembly
Move, but not entirely spend, $227 million to a Hurricane Helene relief fund
Read more from The News & Observer on what SB 382 contains.
Protesters filled the gallery and shouted after the House vote. Some stood outside with signs, including ones that said “Stop the power grab” and “Western NC deserves real relief.”
VOTERS TO DECIDE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IN 2026
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reports that the House also voted to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 that would revise the state’s voter ID requirements.
If passed, the amendment would require all voters to present a photo ID before they cast a ballot, not just those voting in-person. State law requires those voting via absentee ballot to mail with it a photocopy of their ID, and the amendment would make that part of the constitution.
The House didn’t take up another last-minute measure that the Senate approved last week: a constitutional amendment to lower the state’s income tax rate.
STATE BOARD REJECTS BALLOT CHALLENGES. IS THE STATE SUPREME COURT RACE OVER YET?
The State Board of Elections voted mostly along party lines to dismiss Republican Jefferson Griffin’s challenges to over 60,000 ballots in the state Supreme Court race on Wednesday, rejecting his legal arguments that the board allowed ineligible voters to cast a ballot, reports Kyle Ingram.
The final count in the drawn-out contest concluded Tuesday, with Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs leading Griffin by over 700 votes. The board’s decision may not be the race’s denouement. Griffin can appeal to state court, and Democrats have challenged the protests in federal court.
The board also rejected protests from Republicans who lost several legislative races.
NC GOP Chair Jason Simmons slammed the board’s decision in a statement, saying Republicans will review the ruling and “reserve the right to any future actions to protect the integrity of our elections.”
“Unsurprisingly, the most partisan State Board of Elections in history has once again failed the people of North Carolina,” Simmons said. “The board’s continued efforts to engineer political outcomes for Democrats is shameful.”
Riggs said she’s grateful for the board’s ruling.
“My job is now — and will continue to be, because the voters of North Carolina saw fit to keep me in my seat — is to defend the constitutional rights of North Carolinians and to do so with no regard for political ideology, with no regard for political goals or dreams or aspirations,” she told reporters after the hearing.
Read more about what Griffin’s protests argued from Kyle Ingram.
DAN BISHOP NOMINATED TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated North Carolina’s outgoing Rep. Dan Bishop as deputy director for budget in the Office of Management and Budget, reports Danielle Battaglia.
“Dan has been a tireless fighter for our MAGA Movement in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees,” Trump wrote on social media. “Dan will implement my cost-cutting and deregulatory agenda across all Agencies and root out the Weaponized Deep State.”
Bishop, a Waxhaw Republican, served three terms in Congress before he made an unsuccessful run for state attorney general this year.
TILLIS PREPARES TO RUN FOR REELECTION
Sen. Thom Tillis launched his reelection campaign this week. He told Danielle Battaglia that his team is confident he can win in 2026, even while those on North Carolina’s far-right search for someone to defeat him in the primary.
“I don’t go after things I think I may win,” Tillis said. “I go after things I think I will win, and I think we’re going through that process.”
Tillis’ 2020 campaign against Democrat Cal Cunningham was one of the most expensive Senate races in U.S. history, costing nearly $300 million. Tillis said he thinks the 2026 contest will top that.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
Helene inflicted vast, likely long-lasting damage on North Carolina’s agriculture industry, which was already suffering from a tough year, reportsAdam Wagner.
Today’s newsletter was by Emily Vespa. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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