Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly appear poised to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s first veto.
The North Carolina House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override the governor, who last week vetoed a bill that would reinstate partisan judicial elections.
The GOP-controlled House voted to cancel the measure, collecting several more "yes" votes than required by the state Constitution. The override still must occur in the Senate for the bill to become law, though Republicans also firmly control that chamber.
The governor said judges should not be chosen based on party labels, while Republican supporters say party designations give voters more information about the candidates.
Those in opposition of the bill included Rep. Joe John. The Raleigh Democrat is a former judge who served in district, superior and appeals courts. He argued that injecting partisanship into judicial elections would harm the independence of the judiciary.
Supporters of adding partisan labels included Rep. Justin Burr, a Republican. He argued that many voters skipped the judicial races in the 2016 elections, and argued that not having partisan identifiers contributed.
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
