North Carolina governor loses election board appointment struggle

A divided North Carolina Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that a 2024 law transferring election board appointment power from the governor to the state auditor is constitutional, reversing a lower court. The law, passed during the legislature's lame-duck session, blocked incoming Democratic Gov. Josh Stein from filling seats on the state and county election boards, handing that authority instead to Republican Auditor Dave Boliek. Judge April Wood wrote that the governor has no 'core constitutional duty' to make those appointments; Democratic Judge John Arrowood dissented, calling election enforcement a core executive function.

Boliek promptly flipped the state board's majority from Democratic to Republican and replaced its executive director; all 100 county boards now have Republican majorities too. His elections liaison, Dallas Woodhouse, has since resigned amid reporting he pushed counties to cut Sunday voting and eliminate a campus polling site, once texting a county chair 'don't let them have a vote.' Republicans are also planning a bill to cut early voting days and let Boliek audit county boards, which Stein has already vetoed once.

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