North Carolina governor vetoes election bill, sparking override showdown with GOP supermajority

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
Associated Press/Report for America

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed a sweeping Republican elections bill that would end a grace period for voting by mail and make new allowances for partisan poll observers. The Democratic governor accused legislative Republicans of using their slim veto-proof majorities to execute “an all-out assault on the right to vote” in a Thursday video message announcing his veto. Cooper successfully blocked several provisions contained within the 43-page bill during past sessions. But Republicans now hold a narrow three-fifths supermajority needed to override his veto. They argue the changes are needed to improve efficiency and restore trust in the state’s electoral process.