RALEIGH, N.C. _North Carolina's state House and Senate on Thursday overrode the governor's veto of an elections law bill.
The House voted 68-40 to override the veto, while the Senate voted 28-12. Gov. Roy Cooper opposed a provision in the bill that would make investigations of campaign finance violations less public than they have been under the current law. The provision requires allegations of election law wrongdoing to be probed by the State Ethics Commission and referred to the State Board of Elections.
The elections board could then refer the matter to local prosecutors to consider bringing criminal charges, all in confidence.
Other provisions in the bill include a requirement that if the State Board of Elections calls for a new general election in the 9th Congressional District, then a primary election must also be held. Authorities are looking into absentee ballot irregularities in that district, where Republican Mark Harris defeated Democrat Dan McCready by 904 votes in the general election in November.
The bill would also split the current North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement into two boards, as was the case before 2017.
The elections board would once again have five members, all appointed by the governor, with three from one party. The current board has nine members: four Democrats, four Republicans and one unaffiliated voter.
The ethics commission would once again be separate. Responsibility for lobbyist registration would return to the secretary of state.
