5 Things to Know: NC Republicans Make Rushed Power Grab in Raleigh

NC Republicans Make Rushed Power Grab in Raleigh

Republicans in the NC General Assembly on Tuesday fast-tracked a bill to strip authority from statewide offices that will be held by Democrats in the coming year, stuffing a number of such provisions into a 137-page bill that was ostensibly meant to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Helene.

The NC House on Tuesday night approved the bill, which had been made available to the public just a couple of hours earlier, in a 63-46 vote. The bill strips powers away from the attorney general’s office (NC AGO) before current US Rep. Jeff Jackson takes office in January, banning the NC AGO from making any argument that invalidates state law passed by the legislature. The bill also strips the governor’s control over the State Board of Elections, shifting that authority to the state auditor’s office, which will be occupied by a Republican come January.

“This bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Its rushed and secretive introduction reflects an alarming disregard for transparency and fairness. SB 382 would weaken election protections, impose unreasonable administrative burdens, and amplify the influence of corporate money in politics, all at the expense of North Carolina voters,” read a statement from NC NAACP President Deborah Dicks Maxwell on Tuesday afternoon.

While the bill does set aside $252 million for Hurricane Helene relief, only small amounts are actually allocated to specific actions or agencies. Three Republican representatives from western North Carolina counties — Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), and Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) — voted against the bill, with Pless explaining in a statement that “the bill appears to do nothing for western NC.”

The NC Senate passed the bill on Wednesday with a 30-19 vote. It’s unclear if Gov. Roy Cooper plans to veto the bill, but if he does, NC Republicans will need to flip votes from current opponents like Gillespie, Clampitt and Pless to overturn the veto.

State of Housing Report Puts Data to Charlotte’s Housing Crisis

UNC Charlotte published its State of Housing in Charlotte 2024 report on Wednesday, putting numbers to a fact that many in the market already know more broadly — that the brisk pace of growth in Charlotte combined with a shortage of available housing and high interest rates has led to a shortfall of housing that people with low and moderate incomes can afford.

According to the report, more than 49,000 people moved to the Charlotte metro from 2022 to 2023, more people than currently live in Cornelius and Davidson combined. Taking a longer view, from 2014 to 2023, more than 471,750 people have moved to the Charlotte area.

“House prices have increased very quickly in Charlotte in recent years, making Charlotte housing increasingly unaffordable,” said Childress Klein Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Urban Economics Yongqiang Chu, the study’s primary author. “While the market has cooled significantly since COVID-19, there are no signs of significant price declines in the near future. The significant slowdown in construction during the last two years and the easing monetary policy will put significant upward pressure on house prices going forward. Much needs to be done to achieve housing affordability.”

According to the report, growth in home prices has stabilized at a much lower rate than during peak COVID-19 years; however, it is still growing. The median home prices in the Charlotte market increased from $414,360 in September 2023 to $429,945 in September 2024.

Houses with affordable prices have become extremely difficult to find. Only 2% of houses sold for under $150,000, and only about 19% of houses sold for under $300,000 in 2024, according to the report. Rents, on the other hand, have been decreasing in 2023 and 2024 thanks to a significant increase in multifamily apartment deliveries in recent years.

Allison Riggs Wins NC Supreme Court Race, Challenges Loom

With all the mail-in ballots counted, NC Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs has won the race to keep her seat on the bench, beating out challenger Jefferson Griffin by just 625 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes cast.

Griffin has already requested a recount in the election, which the NC State Board of Elections has granted with an estimated finish date of Nov. 27. It’s highly unlikely that a recount will change the result of the election, as they rarely do. In a study of nearly 7,000 statewide races between 2000-2023 recently carried out by FairVote, they found 36 completed statewide recounts and only three that changed the result of the race. In all three of those, the original margin of victory (less than 0.06%) was much smaller than the margin in the NC Supreme Court race (0.17%).

However, Griffin is not only asking for a recount but challenging more than 60,000 of the ballots that were counted, claiming some voters may not have provided a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their voter registration applications. A judge partially dismissed a lawsuit from the NC GOP that made similar claims in an effort to purge voter rolls before the election.

While the recount is expected to be completed sometime next week, the challenge could take longer as it moves through the courts.

“Our legal team is prepared to defend our win and ensure that every voter’s voice is heard,” Riggs tweeted on Thursday. “North Carolinians will not be fooled by extremist attempts to disenfranchise voters.”

NC Republicans Override Veto on Private School Vouchers, Immigrant Detainment

NCGA Republicans also exercised their ability to override vetoes before that’s gone, as they’ll cede their supermajority in January. Lawmakers overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 10, which will spend more than $463 million in taxpayer money on private school vouchers rather than put it toward public schools, as some opponents of the bill have requested.

“Spending billions of taxpayer dollars to fund private school vouchers while public schools remain underfunded, while public school educators are asked to do more with less, and as the western part of our state is still recovering from the devastating impact of Helene is irresponsible,” read a Tuesday afternoon statement from Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the NC Association of Educators. “Funding for House Bill 10 should be redirected to where it is most needed — supporting public schools and disaster recovery efforts.”

House Bill 10 also mandates cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), requiring the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) and other agencies in charge of jails around the state to detain immigrants as requested by ICE.

“House Bill 10 forces local agencies to act as immigration enforcers, creating an environment where families live in constant fear and are less likely to report crimes or seek critical services,” read a statement from Stefanía Arteaga, co-executive director of the Charlotte-based Carolina Migrant Network. “The provisions targeting education funding are equally devastating, as they punish vulnerable students and weaken the foundation of our future workforce.”

Current Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden originally won his seat thanks in large part to his campaign promise to end MCSO policy that honored federal detainers by holding certain immigrant detainees for up to 48 hours at ICE’s request. Past efforts to force his hand have failed in the state legislature.

In a statement on Thursday, McFadden’s office said he believes the new law “undermines the authority of all sheriffs and prevents local communities from setting policies that reflect the will of the voters who elected them.”

“There’s not one person who doesn’t value the safety and security of our citizens. Nobody wants a violent criminal out in our streets and neighborhoods, documented or undocumented,” McFadden said. “But this bill will further erode trust not only between law enforcement and the Hispanic community, but any resident who is undocumented, especially as President Elect Trump prepares to take office with talk of even harsher immigration policies to come.”

Lovin Life Music Fest Releases Names of First 2025 Performers

The Lovin’ Life Music Fest announced a few headliners for its second annual festival, scheduled for May 2-4 next year. A release on Thursday announced that Dave Matthews Band, Gwen Stefani and Benson Boone will perform at next year’s event, with more announcements to come.