RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Republicans in the State House of Representatives introduced bills Wednesday related to early voting and further limiting gubernatorial powers. 

House Bill 66, sponsored by Rep. Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow County), calls for decreasing the number of days allotted for early voting in North Carolina. It would begin no earlier than the second Monday before an election, compared to the third Thursday that is currently practiced. 

The early voting period would still end at 3 p.m. the Saturday before each election. 

Gubernatorial clemency 

The other legislation, House Bill 64, aims to limit the governor’s authority to grant clemency to convicted criminals. Anson County Rep. Mark Brody wants this power to be approved by the General Assembly and would be extended beyond conviction to include the start of the defendant’s sentence. 

The Bill, if passed, would go to the ballots to be approved by the state’s voters in 2026. 

Just before Roy Cooper’s governorship ended in December, he commuted 15 death row sentences and issued two pardons of forgiveness. 

Last December also saw the passage of Senate Bill 382, when Republicans overrode a Cooper veto that limited not only the governor’s power but that of other state leaders. Many of the new Council of State members who took office in January are Democrats, including Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson.