Bill blocking private funding of elections heads to Cooper
(The Center Square) – A bill that would ban private funding of elections administration in North Carolina is on its way to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk.
Senate Bill 725 prohibits state and county boards of elections and county boards of commissioners from accepting private contributions to conduct elections or hire temporary employees.
The bill cleared the Senate, 46-27, on Monday along party lines. It was approved, 63-48, earlier in the House, where all Democrats also opposed it.
“Private interests paying for vote collection and counting raises natural suspicions about election integrity,” said Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus, who co-chairs the Senate Elections Committee. “There is nothing more quintessential to the role of government than funding and administering elections.”
The bill is in response to donations from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to nearly three dozen county election boards for sanitizers, pens and to hire poll workers.
Opponents of the bill said it would block necessary aid to under-resourced communities and create voting barriers for some. Democratic lawmakers said the legislation continues former President Donald Trump’s opposition to the November 2020 election results.
“This bill continues to traffic the big lie,” Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, said.
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