RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — Governor Roy Cooper and Governor-elect Josh Stein sued Republican legislative leaders on Monday over recent changes to the State Board of Elections and county boards of elections, according to a statement released by the governor’s office.
Cooper and Stein say the changes violate the separation of powers established in the North Carolina Constitution.
“We have had the same structure for our state board of elections for nearly a century, and it has served North Carolina well with fair and secure elections across our state through every cycle,” Cooper said. “These blatantly partisan efforts to give control over elections boards to a newly elected Republican will create distrust in our elections process and serve no legitimate purpose.”
The changes were a part of Senate Bill 382, which was enacted along straight party lines in December over Cooper’s veto.
The challenged provisions would transfer all appointments to the SBoE away from the governor to the recently elected Republican state auditor.