Under the Dome: House leaders propose citizen-only voting amendment
Good morning! ☀️ Here’s what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.
House Republican leaders filed a bill to amend the state constitution to state that only citizens can vote.
“Tightening our elections laws so that only U.S. citizens are voting in this country ensures that those making decisions about our country’s future have a vested interest in its well-being,” House Rules Chair Rep. Destin Hall said in a statement. “Voting is a fundamental right and privilege reserved for citizens of the United States.”
It is already a crime for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and state law requires residents to be citizens to register to vote.
Sen. Brad Overcash told The News & Observer last month that he would also sponsor a citizens-only voting amendment in the Senate, saying it would give voters an opportunity to make it “crystal clear” that only citizens can vote.
Constitutional amendments must first be approved by three-fifths of lawmakers in each chamber. Then, the amendment is placed on the ballot in the next election to be decided on by voters.
Some see the amendment as a way to drive conservatives to the polls, even if it is likely to have little tangible effect.
“I can’t help but look at something like that and see it as just a vehicle to drive base voters,” Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause NC, told The N&O last month.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House passed similar legislation on Thursday, though it would only apply to voters in the District of Columbia. Three of North Carolina’s Democrats in Congress, Reps. Wiley Nickel, Kathy Manning and Don Davis, voted in favor of the bill.
— Kyle Ingram
Here’s more from our politics team and correspondent Stephanie Loder.
BERGER ON DEI POLICY
Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters on Thursday what he thinks of the UNC System Board of Governors’ decision Thursday to gut the university system’s DEI requirements. (For more on that, see below.)
Berger said the DEI policy being repealed is, “ like a lot of things that are pursued by progressives and the left … completely different from the average person’s understanding of the need for diversity, for equity, for inclusion.”
“It basically is the advancement of a system that says that everything should be scored and determined based on oppressor versus oppressed. It’s (a) very Marxist provision,” Berger said after a Senate session.
“And I do believe that the opportunities for all citizens of North Carolina, to get the benefit of a university education, is solid in North Carolina.”
Berger called concerns about DEI across the country “legitimate concerns.”
– Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
UNC SYSTEM BOARD TOSSES DEI
A policy approved Thursday by the UNC System Board of Governors repeals the university system’s previous diversity, equity and inclusion requirements at North Carolina’s public universities.
Joel Ford and Sonja Nichols voted against the new policy, which emphasizes equality and nondiscrimination instead of the system’s previous DEI requirements.
The Board of Governors – which includes 15 white men among its total 23 members – falls short of representing the demographics of students.
Nichols, who is Black, said “I just always want it to be a situation where all the voices are heard.”
The new policy took effect immediately. University chancellors have until Sept. 1 to bring campuses into compliance with the new directives.
Get the full story from Korie Dean and Kyle Ingram here.
FALSELY ACCUSED NC VOTERS CAN’T SUE
Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby and four other Republican justices on the court ruled on Thursday that North Carolina voters falsely accused of fraud are unable to sue the GOP-affiliated group that brought the claims.
In the decision, the court said that people who report suspected voter fraud must have immunity in the form of “absolute privilege.”
The case followed allegations of voter fraud after the 2016 gubernatorial race between Gov. Roy Cooper and former Gov. Pat McCrory.
McCrory lost to Cooper in a close race, then formed a legal defense fund to pursue election protests targeting voters deemed allegedly ineligible.
Some of the falsely accused voters sued lawyers associated with the fund in 2017.
Get the full story from Kyle Ingram here.
‘Pork’ problem
Budget talks in the North Carolina General Assembly appear to be at a standoff, at least temporarily.
Senate leader Phil Berger said Thursday that he disagrees with the House position that he says is to spend both the state’s $1 billion revenue surplus and money from reserves.
The issue, Berger said, is about spending money from reserves on “pork.”
Berger, who spoke after the Senate session, said there was no progress made after his meeting this week with House Speaker Tim Moore.
Moore told reporters on Wednesday that he had hoped for a better outcome in meeting with Berger but said that the budget has not been derailed.
Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan here.
SENATE GOP TO NEGOTIATE ON MASKS
It’s possible that Senate and House Republicans will be able to bridge concerns about mask legislation that stalled this week, Senate leader Phil Berger said Thursday.
But the Senate GOP wants to make sure the bill isn’t watered down, he added.
The Senate passed a substitute to existing legislation last week that would:
Increase penalties for people who wear masks to commit crimes
Impose penalties for people participating in demonstrations that block traffic or emergency vehicles.
A controversial provision in the bill would repeal an exception to the longstanding ban on masking in public that lets people wear masks for health reasons.
Senate Republicans believe the health exception put in place during the pandemic isn’t needed anymore, but top House Republicans have said they want to make clear that masking for medical reasons won’t be penalized.
Get the full story from Avi Bajpai here.
NC LAW ENFORCEMENT LOOKS TO HIRE
Law enforcement leaders statewide say they need help to hire new officers and fill vacancies.
Police Chief Jacqui Boykin needs to fill four openings in the Zebulon Police Department that has a staff of 26.
Boykin isn’t alone.
Apex Police Chief Jason Armstrong, Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead and Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood talked about their departments’ vacancy rates this week during a news conference with Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.
Stein said one recruiting solution would be the passage of House Bill 768, which would allow retired officers to keep their retirement benefits if they go back to work.
Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan here.
That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.
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You can sign up to receive the Under the Dome newsletter at newsobserver.com/newsletters. Want your friends to get our email, too? Forward them this newsletter so they can sign up.
We want to know what you would like to see in the Under the Dome newsletter. Do you like highlights from the legislature? Political analysis? Do you have a question you’d like The News & Observer team to answer? Tell us here. You can also email us at dome@newsobserver.com
Don’t forget to follow our tweets and listen to our Under the Dome podcast for more developments.
