GOP lawmakers in North Carolina voted to strip incoming Democratic leaders of their powers

North Carolina's Republican lawmakers voted to strip the incumbent Democratic governor of key powers, passing the bill before the GOP loses its majority in the Legislature next year.

The law would give the authority to appoint members of the state board of elections, which oversees the voting process in North Carolina, to the state auditor, an office that will be held by Republican Dave Boliek after defeating Democrat Jessica Holmes in November. 5 elections.

That power currently rests with the governor's office, which will remain in Democratic hands after Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Republican Lieutenant Mark Robinson. Republicans have long sought to take control of the State Board of Elections, which is historically controlled by the same party as the governor, but the courts have thwarted their previous efforts.

The law would also reduce the time for voters to correct voting errors and require precincts to count ballots as quickly as possible.

The changes are just one part of a larger, 131-page bill that includes hurricane relief funding and will advance dozens of other Republican legislative priorities. The draft legislation was introduced in committee on Tuesday morning, replacing a long-abandoned bill on dental procedures.

Both GOP-controlled chambers passed it in just two days, although three Republicans opposed the measure in the House on Tuesday. After the Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, it headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who denounced the move as a “stealth of power.”

“State Board employees were left untouched by this important law that devolves the State Board of Elections' authority and makes major administrative changes that would make it impossible for county election boards to adequately ensure that all qualified ballots are counted, especially high voter elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. in the statement.

After Wednesday's vote, Senate Republican Phil Berger defended the bill, saying “it's all within the rules we have,” according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

“We have raised concerns for years about the way the Board of Elections has been operating under Roy Cooper's appointees,” Berger said. “And we've tried many times to express the idea that we need to be equal. to the board that's responsible for counting the votes, making decisions about the election. The Democrats said, no, no, no, hell no. So we just decided it's time to move on.”

The North Carolina Board of Elections is currently split 3-2 in favor of Democrats.

The law also proposes to prevent the attorney general, an office the Democrats also managed to control in this month's elections, from taking legal positions that are contrary to those of the Legislature. That would prevent the state's attorney general, Jeff Jackson, from refusing to defend laws passed by the Legislature, as Stein did with the state's new abortion law last year.

The new bill would also strip the governor of some of his powers to fill judicial vacancies and create new legislatively appointed Supreme Court positions.

Republicans are on track to lose their championship in the Legislature pending the outcome of a recount in the state House race, where the Democrat currently leads the GOP-held district. That means they won't be able to override any future vetoes from Stein without Democratic support.

Stein succeeds Cooper, whose administration has repeatedly clashed with the Republican-led Legislature on war zones.

“Many people and communities are hurting and need our help,” Stein said in a post on X Tuesday. “But instead of stepping up, Republicans in the General Assembly seized power and sought political revenge.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com