Brooks Pierce Capital Dispatch: Updates from the NC General Assembly and Governor’s Office, January 21, 2022

Legislators returned to Raleigh this week and passed a bill moving the dates for the 2022 primary and some municipal elections.   

Primary Election and Some Municipal Election Dates Moved

Both houses passed a bill (H 605) this week that would set Tuesday, June 7 as the date of 2022 primary elections. The primary date had earlier been moved by the North Carolina Supreme Court to May 17. Given that a case challenging the new district lines is pending before that Court, legislators supporting the bill indicated they thought it was necessary to ensure sufficient time for possible redrawing of the lines. The bill also reschedules municipal elections that were delayed from 2021 to be held in 2022 depending on the affected municipality's method of election. Gov. Roy Cooper has not indicated whether he will sign the bill.

Legislators Remain in Session

The General Assembly remains in session and it appears they will continue to hold no-vote sessions every few days. This is in part to consider any redistricting matters that may arise and possible override votes on bills vetoed earlier by the Governor. In addition, some oversight committees, which typically meet between sessions, have begun to meet. For example, the Capital Improvements committee met this week. These committees sometimes recommend bills to the even-numbered year session, which will likely be held in the spring. A date for that session has not yet been set.

For more information, contact a member of the Brooks Pierce Government Affairs Team.