State lawmakers voted Tuesday to override five of Governor Roy Cooper's vetoes and pass new election laws, and the election changes and board appointee legislation have already prompted lawsuits.
Tuesday's override will mean that voters will no longer have a three-day grace period for mail-in ballots. Any ballots that arrive after the polls closed won't be counted.
Within minutes of Tuesday's votes along party lines, the state and federal Democratic parties filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the change. Several voting rights groups are also suing.
Democratic Representative Abe Jones says some voters will likely have their ballots thrown out.
“This mess makes it harder, it’s just a mess,” he said, “A bunch of malarkey thought up by somebody in a little room somewhere, it doesn’t make sense.”
Lawmakers also voted to override four other vetoes. One of the bills takes away the governor's power to appoint powerful boards and commissions. Cooper is suing to block the new law, which he calls unconstitutional.
Other bills will pave the way for more nuclear power and remove environmental permitting hurdles.