A hearing in Wake County Superior Court Thursday could help determine whether Republican legislators went too far with a law aimed at reshaping North Carolina's state and local elections boards.
Under state law, governors appoint members to five-person state and county elections boards from lists provided by the major parties - and governors get to pick three members from their own party. In Governor Roy Cooper's case, that means Democrats.
A new law set to take effect in January would give legislators appointment power over restructured even-numbered boards -- with minority and majority leaders in the state House and Senate getting the same number of picks. And should the boards deadlock on appointing a chairperson or elections director the choice would go to the legislature.
Cooper says the law would violate the governor's executive authority. The legislature's GOP majority says the new structure would reduce partisanship in elections administration.