North Carolinians will decide on several proposed constitutional amendments that will show up on the November ballot for the midterms.
As the short session continues in Raleigh, GOP leaders have pushed forward with multiple constitutional amendment proposals, which the governor cannot sign or veto. Two have already passed in the legislature.
One will ask voters if they want new limits on local property tax increases, while the other would cap the state's personal income tax rate at 3.5%.
At least five other proposals are under consideration and were heard in committees within a 24-hour period.
If approved, most of the amendments would have no immediate impact. So, why the rush?
Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, told the News & Observer, “It is probably best understood as an attempt to boost Republican turnout, but also an attempt to brand the Republican Party with popular policies.”
Meanwhile, GOP leaders in South Carolina raced into a special session to redistrict and create new legislative maps ahead of their state’s midterms, urged on by President Donald Trump. Lawmakers in the SC Senate voted to meet on a Sunday, for the first time in at least four decades, to keep the discussion going on the proposed map.
On this episode, we examine the constitutional amendment proposals in North Carolina and discuss if they could boost voter participation at the polls. We’ll also get an update from South Carolina and how their plan has panned out.
GUESTS:
Part 1
Gavin Jackson, host and public affairs reporter at South Carolina Public Radio
Part 2
Colin Campbell, capitol bureau chief and political reporter for WUNC
Chris Cooper, Ph. D., professor of political science and director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University
