Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
Five different bills were vetoed by the Governor this month. The Republicans, since they have a super-majority, overrode all five vetoes. Now comes the tirade of complaints from the Left. I picked up newsletters from two Buncombe County Democrat representatives. Included are the quotes about the bills from their perspective (“none of which are good for our state”); and here are the facts as I see them as Chairman of the Buncombe County Republican party.
Senate Bill 747 – requires voter ID and clarifies the role of poll observers. In 2020, NC voted in support of Voter ID. The Governor then declared that the results were not valid due to redistricting lines. Those redistricting lines were found to be legal in 2023 by the NC Supreme Court. S747 requires voters to show ID to vote and restores the wishes of the people as they voted in 2020. The Left claims it “make(s) it harder to vote, make(s) elections less secure”. Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
S747 also allows citizens to observe the voter process and clearly spells out the rules for Observers and Election workers. This clarification and allowing citizens to observe somehow “make(s) elections less secure?” Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
Senate Bill 749:
The Left claims that S749 “make(s) elections less secure, give(s) the legislature appointment power of local election boards, and create(s) gridlock in election administration”.
The facts: S749 gives the legislature power to appoint Board of Election Officers instead of the Governor. Why is that good? Legislators are a group of people that represent constituents whereas the Governor is just a one man show which is partisan and party biased. S749 increases the number of members of the state Board of Elections from 5 to 8 (4 Republican, 4 Democrat), with all 8 members being appointed by the General Assembly. It decreases the number of members of each of the 100 county boards of elections from 5 to 4 (2 Republican, 2 Democrat), with all 4 members being appointed by the General Assembly.
The Left claims this creates “gridlock”. In reality, it forces our BOE representatives to move beyond party lines. Instead of one Party always having a one-person majority to tip the scales along Party lines, now at least one representative must break from Party lines, find a consensus, and do what is best for the people and the voting process. In other words, the BOE now must work together.
S749 also makes Election Day the deadline for accepting mail-in ballots. Polling shows that North Carolinians support making Election Day the deadline for accepting mail-in ballots by nearly a two-to-one margin. Therefore, are S747 and S749 “Attacks on Voting Rights?” which “override the will of the people again and again”? Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
As State Senator Warren Daniel (R) states, “North Carolinians deserve to have the knowledge and confidence that their state and local boards of elections are operating in the best interest of the voters, not a particular political party. Single-party control has led to distrust and skepticism among voters. Voters should be asking themselves why Governor Cooper is so desperate to maintain his partisan grip on the State Board of Elections…”
House Bill 600
H600 changes statutory language in North Carolina law from “renewable energy” to “clean energy.” It also adds to the existing list of clean energy resources “nuclear energy resources, including an uprate to a nuclear energy facility” as well as (nuclear) “fusion energy” to the definition of “clean energy resource.”
A recent state law aims for “carbon neutral” energy generation by 2050. Nuclear energy is by far the most efficient energy source to retain grid reliability at 92.5% efficiency compared to Wind 35.4% and Solar 24.9% (JohnLocke.org).
To skirt the facts, one of our leftist representative’s newsletters complains that H600 "blocks efforts to encourage diverse suppliers for state purchases and promote fairness for historically underutilized businesses.” This comment is the Left’s attempt to use emotional verbiage rather than educational facts. Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
Senate Bill 512
The Left claims that S512 is a “legislative power grab that reduces the Governor’s appointment power”. The GOP, however, points out that, "Governor Cooper has made it clear that he wants full control of appointments to state boards and commissions. His desire to handpick appointees that will do his bidding serves his party, not North Carolinians. The knowledge and expertise of the General Assembly and members of the executive branch should be utilized, not stifled. By overriding the governor’s veto, we are broadening the diversity of thought by balancing appointments from the governor, Council of State, and the legislature."
Our two local Democrats’ newsletters push emotional statements such as “GOP’s chokehold on our state” and the “supermajority is concentrating more power into their own hands”. What the Left doesn’t mention is that the Republican party achieved super-majority status not by concentrating more power into their own hands, but rather by a Democrat Congresswoman, dissatisfied with the Democrat Party’s leftist policies, switching her affiliation to the Republican Party. Don’t buy the lie. Seek the truth.
Senate Bill 678
The Left calls out this Bill as ”weakening clean energy efforts” and prioritizing “traditional fossil fuel plants over lower cost options such as energy efficiency.” S678 is “AN ACT TO (I) DEFINE "CLEAN ENERGY," WHICH INCLUDES "RENEWABLE ENERGY" AND NUCLEAR AND FUSION ENERGY; (II) ELIMINATE LANGUAGE IMPENDING CPCN ISSUANCE FOR NUCLEAR FACILITIES; (III) MODIFY CLOSURE DEADLINES FOR CERTAIN COAL COMBUSTION RESIDUALS SURFACE IMPOUNDMENTS…” Vetoing this bill, the Left claims is “concentrating more power into their (Republican’s) own hands and reducing policies that protect our health and the environment” ... “health” and “environment” being emotional buzz words which push emotions rather than provide facts.
The above summary is a response to the statements made in Senator Julie Mayfield’s and House Representative Lindsey Prather’s recent newsletters.
The goal of our newsletter is to inform and encourage you to do your own research and think on your own. For more information on the bills and the supporting research, click on any of the bright blue links above.
