In the wake of likely losing their supermajority in the North Carolina House, Republican state lawmakers are quickly advancing measures to curtail the authority of Governor-elect Josh Stein over elections. While Republicans will retain control of both the House and Senate, the loss of one seat in the House would leave them short of the veto-proof majority they have held for years, allowing Stein to exercise more power than his predecessor, Democrat Roy Cooper.

The proposed legislation passed by both chambers seeks to transfer some of the governor’s responsibilities in election oversight to the state auditor, a Republican, Dave Boliek. This move aims to reduce the governor’s influence over appointments to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), a body that has been under Democratic control for years.

🚨 #BREAKING: North Carolina Republicans just passed a new law taking away power from the incoming Democratic governor that would allow him authority over the State Elections Board – NBC

They also just shortened how long voters have to "fix" mail-in ballot errors and increased… pic.twitter.com/3ZXde28OOB

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 22, 2024

Jim Womack, president of the North Carolina Election Integrity Team (NCEIT), hailed the bill as an important step in ensuring election security, noting that it would allow the state auditor to oversee elections in the state for the first time in history. “The agility of the General Assembly was demonstrated this week as they passed important legislation, placing the state auditor in an oversight role over the state board of elections,” Womack told The Federalist.

Under the bill, the NCSBE would remain an independent agency, but its budgeting and appointments would now fall under the jurisdiction of the state auditor’s office. The change would likely result in a Republican-controlled board, with a 3-2 split. The auditor would also gain the authority to appoint the chairs of the 100 county boards of elections.

North Carolina State House Passes Bill Limiting Democrat Governor’s Emergency Powers https://t.co/kH94F40nE3 pic.twitter.com/Gti7E5qBUZ

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) March 31, 2021

In addition to restructuring election oversight, the bill includes new security measures for absentee voting. Currently, voters can correct issues with absentee ballots, such as missing signatures or witness addresses, up to one week after Election Day. The proposed legislation would limit that window to just two and a half days. The law would also mandate that absentee votes be counted on Election Day and set a three-day deadline for counting provisional ballots.

The bill, which now heads to Governor Cooper’s desk, is expected to be vetoed, but a veto override vote could be scheduled as one of the final acts of the Republican supermajority in early December. This move comes after a contentious Supreme Court race where absentee and provisional ballots played a key role in a dramatic post-Election Day shift in results.