The Daily Tar Heel

Serving the students and the University community since 1893

Thursday June 1st

North Carolina Politics


The Legislative Building located in Raleigh houses North Carolina's General Assembly.

Republicans fall one seat short of regaining supermajority in NC General Assembly

According to unofficial results, Republicans flipped two seats in the N.C. House and two in the N.C. Senate, meaning they would fall one seat short of a supermajority in the state House. This means that Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly will not be able to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Republicans needed 72 to gain this veto-proof power but only appeared to win 71 out of 120, falling short of the three-fifths margin for a supermajority. In the state senate, Republicans appeared to win 30 seats out of 50. 

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Per unofficial results, North Carolina Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Caswell, Orange) has won the 2022 midterm election for the District 23 North Carolina Senate position. He defeated Republican opponent Landon Woods. Photos courtesy of Landon Woods, and DTH/Saurya Acharya.

Here's what you need to know about the NC Senate District 23 candidates

N.C. Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Caswell, Orange) and Republican Landon Woods are running for the North Carolina Senate District 23 seat, which includes Person, Caswell and Orange counties. The seat is being vacated by N.C. Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Chatham, Orange), who is running for U.S. Congress. Meyer said he avidly supports helping people deal with student debt, as well as reducing carbon emissions, reproductive freedom and expanding voting access.  Woods said individuals should take steps forward in the climate fight, rather than large companies. His platform also mentions prison reform.

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DTH Photo Illustration. A UNC student completes his official absentee ballot on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. Many students are unsure who to vote for within the Democratic Party. 

Column: The Democratic party is disappointing.

"This is the problem. Democrats' don't do. They’ve taken up this somewhat “preventative” rhetoric. They emphasize all of the things they will prevent Republicans from doing (further restricting abortion access is an especially prominent example in this current election cycle). Telling voters all of the things you won’t let happen isn’t good campaigning. It's impassive and a scare tactic."

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Protesters gather in front of the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Photo Courtesy of Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times.

Over 1,000 North Carolinians, including elected officials, in group involved with Jan. 6 riot

This month, the Anti-Defamation League issued a report analyzing membership data on the Oath Keepers, a far-right group that was involved with the United States Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The report found that 1,180 North Carolinians have been members — three of them being elected officials.  The Oath Keepers are one of the largest far-right anti-government groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

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The Peace and Justice Plaza on E Franklin St, pictured on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.

Here's what you need to know about Alcohol Law Enforcement's authority in North Carolina

Recent events in Chapel Hill, including a forceful student arrest on Franklin Street, have left some residents wondering about Alcohol Law Enforcement's purpose, power and presence – especially in a college town. ALE enforces the state’s alcoholic beverage control, lottery and tobacco laws. Its mission, according to its website, is to “reduce crime and enhance public safety."

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Graphic by Carson Elm-Picard.

NC court limits power of racially gerrymandered legislature to amend state constitution

A racially gerrymandered legislature cannot propose amendments to the North Carolina Constitution, according to an Aug. 19 ruling from the N.C. Supreme Court. The case, NAACP v. Moore, was decided by a 4-3 vote along party lines. The decision stems from a U.S. District Court decision in 2016, which said that North Carolina’s state district maps were illegally racially gerrymandered. 

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Students protest near the anti-abortion Genocide Awareness Project exhibit displayed at Polk Place on Tuesday Oct. 22, 2019. This exhibit included graphic images and made comparisons between abrotion procedures and mass genocides.

Column: I'm tired of pretending

"Our male friends arrive and hop into the conversation. When we explain what we’re discussing, one nods, saying he heard about the news a couple days ago. Which is impossible, of course, because it just happened that day."

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