Common Cause of NC’s Bob Phillips on the recessed legislative session, the state of election laws

News & Views

Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina (Screengrab from press briefing)

The North Carolina General Assembly wrapped up its 2024 “short session” recently and once again, it was a tough session for many basic aspects of democratic government.

Whether they were unveiling secretly written proposals to overhaul state campaign finance laws, placing new unfunded obligations on election administrators, or cementing in place law changes that will make voting more of a challenge, lawmakers stuck to the same playbook they’ve used in recent years. All that said, as Newsline learned in a recent conversation with one of the state’s top good government watchdogs, Common Cause of North Carolina executive director, Bob Phillips, things might well have been worse had lawmakers not abruptly ended the session when they did.