Government Reform

State law allowing ballots to be returned up to three days after election day if postmarked by election day creates confusion and opportunities for mischief. Those who vote by mail should submit their ballot by election day.

Last week South Dakota became the ninth state to pass universal license recognition since 2019. Bill language introduced last year before the General Assembly would offer a way for North Carolina to join those reform states.

North Carolina's archaic certificate-of-need laws leave the state with significant deficits in psychiatric hospitals and substance abuse facilities — and higher prices. North Carolina should join the 15 other states that eliminated certificate-of-need laws.

Program Evaluation Division has served a useful purpose, but it was limited in what it could recommend. Partisan staff can more easily identify solutions, provide strategic advice, and answer “why” questions.

Gov. Roy Cooper's business shutdowns and restrictions amount to a regulatory taking depriving business owners of the use of their property. Lawmakers should reform eminent domain to include compensation for regulatory takings.

During the 2020 election, early voting observers reported a glaring example of improper voting “assistance” Election observers and officials often do not know who is going into the voting booth…

In the end, Gov. Cooper’s supplemental budget recommendations signal his affinity for the education establishment, disregarding long-standing infrastructure needs and supporting antiquated employee compensation practices that do little to improve the overall quality of education in North Carolina.

Each government agency and program is created to do a job. Legislators should regularly review those jobs and how programs perform them. Regulatory sunset reviews provide a good model to emulate.

The North Carolina Emergency Management Act (EMA) delegates too much power to the executive branch and provides too little legislative guidance and oversight. This article proposes specific changes to the EMA to correct these deficiencies and restore the separation of powers guaranteed by the North Carolina State Constitution.

The obvious societal need for rural broadband signals opportunities for human ingenuity in the private sector. State policymakers should continue to focus on removing regulatory barriers to enable more rapid expansion by broadband entrepreneurs.