NC Republicans’ election takeover raises national alarm bells

Editor's note: This opinon piece was first published in the News and Observer and the Charlotte Observer, March 10,2026

North Carolina is once again getting the worst kind of national attention, thanks to our Republican legislators. 

A new report from The New York Times identified North Carolina as one of several potential targets for President Donald Trump’s goal to “take over” voting procedures in parts of the country. The report said that North Carolina Republicans have overseen “what may be the most consequential reconfiguration of an electoral system of any swing state.”

For nearly 10 years, Republican lawmakers fought to take away election appointment power away from Democratic governors. In 2024, they finally succeeded, passing a bill that wrested control of election administration from the newly elected governor (a Democrat) and placed it in the hands of the newly elected state auditor (a Republican). North Carolina is the only state in the country where the auditor oversees election administration. Now, the State Board of Elections has a Republican majority, as do the elections boards in all 100 counties.

The article noted that the newly Republican elections boards have already made “small but significant changes” to early voting, and some fear that they could also side with GOP candidates who challenge the results of close races. Thanks to Jefferson Griffin, we already know what those challenges might look like. We’ve also seen the Board of Elections take steps to “clean up” the state’s voter rolls in a quest to eradicate fraud that doesn’t really exist.

This reconfiguration is concerning enough for voters in North Carolina. But the fact that it could play into a larger strategy of meddling that benefits the Trump administration and Republicans nationwide is even more alarming. We know that Trump and his allies have a history of pressuring state and local officials to overturn or interfere with election results. We knew in the past that we could trust the people on the front lines of our democracy to defend it. We hope that’s still true.

 A year ago, North Carolina had one of the most highly respected election officials in the country. Now, we’re being highlighted as fertile ground for election interference. It’s not the kind of honor North Carolina should want.

Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten is covering the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.