Sunday, December 29, 2024

North Carolina is a model for anti-democracy

 

North Carolina has been practicing anti-democracy, aka one-party rule, for several years now. And they aren't stopping, come hell or high water (and they had some of that recently).


North Carolina Republicans Push to Seize Power From Top Democrats

The state’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a sweeping bill that would erode the power of the Democratic governor and attorney general and hand the G.O.P. more control over elections.

This is absolutely ridiculous, by the way. But get used to it, because the GOP has been doing this in several states, and they keep exploring nefarious new ways to dominate politics, democracy be damned.

"The legislation would also significantly restrict the governor’s ability to fill vacancies on state courts, including the Supreme Court, by limiting the options to candidates offered by the political party of the judge leaving the seat. And it would curtail the ability of the attorney general — currently Mr. Stein, and next year Jeff Jackson, another Democrat — to challenge laws passed by the legislature.

Phil Berger, the top Republican in the State Senate, told reporters after the vote on Wednesday that Republicans’ passage of the jumbo bill was “all within the rules,” adding that they sought to restructure the election board to “have balance.”

Republicans have had a stranglehold on the North Carolina legislature since 2011, and they have pursued similar power grabs in recent years. After Mr. Cooper was elected in 2016, the legislature sought to limit the number of state employees the governor could hire, shift some of his responsibilities to the lieutenant governor and require Senate confirmation for cabinet positions.

During the 2021 redistricting process, the North Carolina legislature drew a congressional map with 11 of the state’s 14 House seats favoring Republicans — a striking advantage in a state that is almost evenly divided politically."



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