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Now streaming only on Prime Video. It's five oh five, and welcome in to a Thursday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk one hundred seven point nine FM. WBT. I am Nick Craig. Good morning to you.
Democrat North Carolina Governor Josh Stein took a victory lap at a Wednesday afternoon press conference after the Democrats absolutely pummeled Republicans in many races across the state on the Tuesday, November the third, general election. Which the big news that we've been tracking saw Democrats taking control of the North Carolina House for the first time since 2010. This is how the governor opened his comments in Raleigh this week. Last night was an incredible night for the country, of course, but especially so for us here in North Carolina. The voters of North Carolina made their voices heard loudly and clearly.
They want balance. They want common sense in their government. They flipped the House of Representatives in dramatic fashion. And they narrowed the margins in the state senate to ensure that there will be balance between the two parties. The voters want leaders who work together on their behalf.
That is Democrat Governor Josh Stein Wednesday afternoon outside the governor's mansion, which likely will be a split leadership in Raleigh. Democrats controlling the North Carolina House, Republicans controlling the North Carolina Senate. The governor talked about working together to serve the people of North Carolina. Our job as those elected leaders is to listen. And to work together because we can work together to lower costs.
The cost of housing, electricity, and healthcare are too high for North Carolina families. We can work together to keep people safe. We know we need more well-trained local law enforcement on the streets in the community. We can work together to invest in our people.
So that they have the skills, the knowledge that they need to succeed in this fast-changing economy. Investments in education, pre-K, K-12, community college, and universities are investments in North Carolina's future. Voters expect us to work together for them. The next General Assembly has an incredible opportunity. If we just listen, if we just listen to what the people of North Carolina want, I'm eager to work with Speaker Elect Reeves, the next President Pro Tem of the Senate, Leader Batch, and the Republican and Democratic members of the General Assembly, because we can work together on behalf of the people of North Carolina.
The governor, after giving some of his opening comments at his Wednesday afternoon press conference, turned it over to reporters that were gathered to ask a variety of questions as to how things will work moving forward in North Carolina. He was asked as to what some of his priorities are moving forward. There are many pieces of legislation we need. We have to strengthen all of our K twelve, pre K, community colleges, and universities. We have to invest in public safety.
We have to continue to focus on helping Western North Carolina recover. We have to drive down costs for people. That's why I am eager. These are not simple issues. There's not one piece of legislation that's going to fix what needs to be fixed in North Carolina.
But if we work together, the new speaker. Reeves, the new president pro tem, all of the Democratic and Republican members of the General Assembly. I am confident we can deliver for people of North Carolina. Allowed discussion on working together in the new legislative session that kicks off in 2027. We'll be joined coming up a little bit later on in the program by Andrew Pomerantz to talk about exactly what that could look like moving forward.
Also, looking at some of the results from election night, it will be the former eight-year governor here in North Carolina, in Roy Cooper, that will be making his way to the United States Senate, representing more than seven million people across the state of North. North Carolina questions asked of a current governor Josh Stein as to what this means for Western North Carolina as they continue their recovery from Hurricane Helene that affected the western half of North Carolina now more than two years ago. The state of North Carolina is grateful for every federal dollar that we have received. The problem is there have been too few of them. It's been about ten or eleven billion dollars of federal assistance.
It sounds like a lot. Until you realize the damage was sixty billion dollars. The last appropriation that the federal government has done for Western North Carolina occurred in December of 2024.
So nearly two years ago, it was under President Biden and under the last Congress. This administration, this Congress, have delivered no new dollars. Governor Cooper, Senator Elect Cooper, excuse me, understands very well the need of Western North Carolina. There's now going to be a Senate majority of Democrats. His voice will be loud and important, and I am eager to work with him.
I want this Congress to act before the year ends. But if this Congress doesn't, I'm going to work with Senator Elect Cooper to make sure that the people of Western North Carolina are supported. And we will see if there is any additional movement in Congress in the remaining calendar months through the rest of 2026. Back to the state of North Carolina, asking some additional questions of the current governor and Josh Stein as to some of the those priorities. One of the major ones being the biennial budget that will need to be passed by lawmakers next year.
There's no question that the most important piece of legislation that the legislature considers on any year is the budget. It's the biggest bill they pass. It's the most consequential bill because what it is is a expression of the priorities of the state. Given however many dollars we have, how are we going to allocate those funds to best position North Carolinians to be able to thrive? And so yes, I am going to work very intently with the House and with the Senate to make sure we can come together on a budget.
Obviously, the fact that my veto will have vetoes the same numbers not only in the House where we have the majority now, but in the Senate.
So I'm not going to be worried about whether they will override my veto. But to me, it's just about can we agree on what the priorities are, in ways that are going to help people, and there's no reason why we cannot do that.
So my hope is is that we are able to come up with a budget next year that veto is not even on the table. Let's just sit down and start talking about what my priorities are, what your priorities are, what your priorities are, and how can we put them together. Those puzzle pieces in a way that it actually creates a beautiful. Picture for the state of North Carolina. The budget being described as a beautiful picture for North Carolina remains to be seen whether Democrats and Republicans in what will likely be a split power break in the North Carolina General Assembly will play out.
We'll of course be keeping an eye on that. Business North Carolina was at the Governor Stein press conference on Wednesday. Asked the governor what he thinks about North Carolina's economy moving forward. Making sure that we have a budget that makes the right investments in North Carolina, making sure that we continue to support the recovery and economic development of Western North Carolina, still struggling from the storm, and making sure that we are setting conditions for continued economic success. There is a lot that's going right for North Carolina.
We've been ranked the number one state for workforce development, the number one state for economic development, the number one state for business in one or two in each of the last six years. We had the best year of job announcements in the history of the state last year. We're the number one state that people from other states are moving to because they know that opportunity. Can be found here. I want to make sure that we continue that momentum, so that more people can actually feel the real benefits, the tangible benefits of this economic growth.
That is Governor Josh Stein at a press conference on Wednesday in Raleigh, post of the 2026 midterm elections. He was asked about a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Democrat Shelley Heeden, who won a race in North Carolina's House District 62. That is in Guilford County. We'd cover we'd covered this candidate in the past after social media posts drew significant criticism from lawmakers. In one post, the now soon to be member.
The North Carolina General Assembly wrote, and I quote: "I think our only hope is on is an attack on U.S.
soil, preferably Alabama or Louisiana, where the stupid people live." In other posts, she compared President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement with Hitler and Nazi Germany, and invoked the Holocaust, indicating that those supporting the president of the President Donald Trump should be treated as the similar way as the Jews were treated in Nazi Germany. The governor was asked about that right off the top at his press conference. This was his response: "I don't know, Miss Heaton. She, of course, was duly elected by the constituents of her district." Her remarks have absolutely no place in politics. It's so easy to objectify the opposition.
If you are a Democrat, to make Republicans out to be something terrible. If you are Republican, to make Democrats out to be something terrible, something to fear. What we have to do is set aside that nonsense, that noise, and treat each other respectfully. That does not mean we agree on all issues, but we can work together. We can treat each other respectfully.
We can find compromise, and we can deliver for the people of North Carolina. That is Governor Josh Stein Wednesday in front of the Governor's Mansion, discussing results of the 2026 midterm elections. A big night for Democrats in North Carolina, flipping the North Carolina House for the first time since 2010. We are still awaiting official election results out of one Senate district, Senate District 24, in portions of Robeson. County, where Republicans, the Republican candidate there, and Danny Britt has a less than three hundred vote lead.
We'll be keeping an eye on that race over the next week until those results go from unofficial to official. I've also got some more from the governor. We'll get into that coming up here in just a couple of minutes. He was a champion, an icon, the original goat. But before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, he was Cassius Clay, a young man finding his voice, his purpose, and his place in the Follow his journey through the victories, the challenges, and the defining moments that will shape a legend, both in and out of the ring.
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Eggland's Best mejor sabor, mejor Mejores huevos. It's five twenty one. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBT. Continuing our coverage this morning, post election twenty twenty six, the Democrat governor in Josh Stein took a victory lap Wednesday afternoon at a press conference outside of the governor's mansion. After Democrats had a big night here in North Carolina, particularly in the North Carolina Generalist.
Assembly, where for the first time since 2010, Democrats will take control of the House. We can still look at the United or the North Carolina Senate, excuse me, in a race that is too close to call. As Republican Danny Britt in portions of Robeson County, that is his Senate district, remains up by 268 votes in that contest. That will give Republicans 26 members in the North Carolina Senate, the one extra vote needed to have. A majority in that chamber.
We'll watch that process play out over the remainder of the next a week, a little more than a week, when those election results go from unofficial to official. We'll keep you up to date right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. The governor, at his press conference yesterday, was asked about the constitutional amendments that passed overwhelmingly Wednesday, Tuesday evening, into the early hours of a Wednesday morning. This is what he had to say about that. The three amendments were drafted, I think, cynically to be so attractive to people that they would vote for them, because there wasn't enough information.
I do believe that if voters had enough information and understood what the consequence of a three and a half percent income tax cap is on people, they would have rejected it. The problem is, is it would have taken tens of millions of dollars to educate them. Because if you say to somebody, "Do you want to pay no more than three and a half percent income tax with no more information?", we know the result of that. The majority of voters are going to say, "Sure, I don't want to pay more taxes than I have to." But here's the deal: if there is a recession, working people are going to be the ones who bear the cost of that. Not the well-to-do, not the wealthy; those who can afford to pay.
I considered these amendments to be a con job on on the people of North Carolina, and we're going to have to now deal with its constraints. What the property tax amendment said was, is that the legislature can set. A limit, and if they do restrictive limit like they've done on income tax, what they're going to do is make it so that local governments are unable to meet the needs of their people, whether it's water infrastructure or local roads or parks or libraries. I don't want my local libraries closing. And so I hope that the legislature is very restrained in what it does on limiting local government's ability to raise the revenue necessary to meet the needs of the people.
Each government can decide what the right level is for them because each local government has its own needs; it has its own resources.
So I just I hope that. We do not hamstring our local governments. That is Governor Josh Stein Wednesday afternoon calling the three constitutional amendments that Republican lawmakers put on the ballot during the 2026 midterms a con job, arguing that lawmakers were cynical in the way in which they drafted them so that they would pass. And well, regardless of the governor's comments, they did pass overwhelmingly. The constitutional amendment capping the state's personal income tax rate in the state.
Constitution to three and a half percent passed with sixty one point nine one percent of the votes as of right now. More than two point five million individuals voting in favor of that amendment compared to just one point five that voted against. A constitutional amendment which will require photo ID for all forms of voting, including those that decide to vote absentee by mail, passed with two point four million votes. That's fifty nine point five nine percent compared to just. One point six million against, and the final constitutional amendment dealing with what you just heard in some of the later comments from Governor Josh Stein, dealing with the property tax levy limit, which will restrain how significant local governments can increase property taxes year over year.
Some strong support there as well. Two point four million people, or sixty point four two percent, voted for that amendment, while one point six million, or thirty. Nine point five eight percent voted against all three of those amendments. Will now be enshrined in the state's constitution when vote tallies go unofficial to official. The property tax levy limit is something that lawmakers are expected to deal with.
It is not immediately clear whether those lawmakers will come back in their original scheduled time, which was supposed to be later on this month.
However, the constitutional amendment dealing with the property tax levy limit. Does need to be enshrine the formula for what that looks like does need to be put in place by lawmakers in Raleigh.
So we'll presumably see some additional activity and action from them before the year is out. Everything with the major and very shocking election results that we saw Tuesday night remains very much up in the air as of this morning, and will likely remain up in the air over the next couple of weeks as You are just joining us. Republicans having a an awful night in North Carolina on Tuesday. Democrats having one of their strongest election victories in decades across the Tar Heel state. As it stands right now, and there are still a couple of races that are too close to call across the state of North Carolina.
It will be Democrats for the first time since two thousand and ten that will control the North Carolina House. They will have an estimated seventy one. Seats in that chamber, which funny enough, is the exact number of seats that Republicans currently have right now. Democrats will be one vote shy of a supermajority, which should not be relevant with a Democrat governor and Josh Stein in the North Carolina in the governor's mansion here in North Carolina. A little bit of a different story on the side of the North Carolina Senate, where Senator Danny Britt holds a 268 vote lead over the Democrat challenger in.
Tina Ham in the race for the state's 24th Senate District, which includes portions of Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland counties. If Britt is able to hang on to that very narrow contest, which again is 268 votes, that should that will be enough for Republicans to retain a majority in the North Carolina Senate, which will force lawmakers to either have to compromise and work together on pieces of legislation that can get a majority support in the North. North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House before going to the governor's desk for a likely signature. Or if they are unable to work together, or if Democrats are successful in flipping the Senate, the Democrats here in North Carolina will have the trifecta needed to pass any piece of legislation that they want. We will be tracking that as there is roughly 800 additional provisional ballots still to be counted.
We'll be catching up tomorrow morning with Dr. Andy Jackson from the John Locke Foundation as to what exactly that is that process is going to look like in the remaining a couple of days ahead of next. Friday, when those results will go official, we'll be keeping you up to date with everything as it relates to the midterm elections right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. We literally have dozens of stories across the state of North Carolina, brand new this morning over on our website, carolinajournal.com. It's 5:36.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good Thursday morning to you. Coming up in early 2027, the North Carolina General Assembly and our state capital rally is going to look different than it has in 15 years across the state of North Carolina. To walk us through what he is expecting, as he'll be covering a very interesting legislative session day in and day out.
Andrew Pomerantz, CarolinaJournal dot com, joins us this morning on the News Hour. Andrew, just before we get started, your overall reaction to Tuesday night's. Incredibly lopsided election returns across the Tar Heel state.
Well, Nick. Good morning. Good to be with you. I think you know the general sentiment around the General Assembly today is shock and awe. You know, over the past week or so, the story has been whether Democrats were going to be able to win enough seats just to get to a majority in the North Carolina House or Senate.
You know, we wrote about that over at Carolina Journal this week, and you know, our election expert over at the John Locke Foundation has been talking about this for a while, and you know. For this large of a shift to happen, we're talking about 23 seats going from Republican to either Democrat or Independent, right? We have one progressive Independent coming into the chamber, is a shocking number. I think you know, listening to both Speaker Hall last night and Robert Reeves speak after this came out, these results came out. You know, he said he was shocked.
He was referred to as Speaker Reeves multiple times and made his candidacy for that position. Today, and but he said he could not believe where he was. He could not believe the number he was at, and the confidence he had, and those results holding, and and that's where we're at today. You know, we have what looks like a seventy-one seat Democratic majority in the North Carolina House to forty-seven Republicans there, right, and that's one vote shy of a supermajority. And something, you know, funny enough, Republicans had that exact same majority this year during.
In the legislature, so complete flip there. It looks like at the moment we're the North Carolinians are going to hold the North Carolina Senate just by one Senate seat. There, it'll be twenty-six to twenty-four.
Now that is appending a recount in what is right now the closest general legislative race in the state, and that is Senator Danny Britt. He's a Republican incumbent, and he is up by about two hundred and eighty votes. And so we will be following that race closely as that race is going. To determine who controls the Senate here and whether Democrats have a Democrat trifecta after last night's slaughter, and we'll have a better idea as we transition into the latter half of this week and the county canvass process, which will take place next Friday here. That will take all of the unofficial current election results.
Important note: all results are unofficial until that process. Late next week, we'll continue to follow that here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Andrew, that. You talk about that race in Senate District Twenty Four, where a Danny Britt is currently leading by just two hundred and sixty-eight votes. Can I get your thoughts on this?
Is it fair to say that Democrats overperformed in every imaginable race that we were following over the last couple of months? Yeah, Nick. There were on the Civitas Parson Index there were 22 seats that were either rated toss up or lean Republican. Right, so this is within four percentage points in those districts. Democrats won all 22 of those districts on the Civitas Parson Index, and then the independent won a 23rd district.
Right, so we're talking about the best case scenario for Democrats here. You know, we kept hearing that they were looking good, they were confident in some of these. Districts outside of Mecklenburg County and Wake County, but some of these other districts, they were running out of resources and people to be able to swing and devote the necessary attention to. But that didn't matter last night. Back on the coattails of Governor Cooper, former Governor Cooper now Senate.
Elected Cooper, right? He his coattails winning by nineteen points really affected down ballot candidates, both in the House and Senate. Turnout was high among Democrats, and when they went to vote for Governor Cooper, former Governor Cooper, there they just elected looks like Democrats down the ballot as well, and that shows. And in every single election, we're talking about leaders in both the House and Senate who have been there and been staples in the General Assembly for years now, including people. Like Senator Buck Newton out in District Four, who was the former Attorney General candidate, Senator Mike Lee in District Seven out in Wilmington, losing as well on the House side, Donny Lambeth losing a big feature in budget negotiations over the past fifteen years, and so a number of really powerful Republicans losing last night in seats that just a couple months ago we can never imagine them losing in.
Yeah, and in the coming days and weeks, we'll continue with some of our election analysis, including taking a look at some of these unaffiliated voters. And Andrew, what appears to be right now, them having a very strong affinity towards voting for Democrats in these 2026 midterm elections. While the results remain unofficial, the dust has begun the process of settling. And as you already noted, Democrats will control the North Carolina House. For the first time since 2011, it does appear that that firewall will be blocked.
However, in the North Carolina Senate, this is going to give Democrats Andrew a very interesting opportunity in something that they haven't had the opportunity in nearly a decade and a half. What do you think the beginning of 2027 is going to look like? Yeah, Nick. I think this is a really interesting conversation because you know we have a legislative session that is not over yet, and Republicans can come back in the next couple of weeks, starting November 16th, and try to finish their legislative priorities out. And how effective they are going to be with their current majority is yet to be seen.
And I think there are some really interesting pieces of legislation where they could choose to address, but how aggressive they are, I think, will determine how fast out of the gate Democrats come. You know, when you have when Gain power for the first time in fifteen years. It takes a while to get your feet under you, get leadership set up, get people staffed to right offices, and then to. Teach that many new members, you know, how to file legislation, and way more importantly, how to find your way around the general assembly. Right?
No, that takes a while. It took me a while.
So, you know, things like that are not going to happen quickly. And whether Democrats can get out in January with their legislative portfolio and hit the ground running or not is still yet to be seen. But I will say, Nick, they have been filing thousands of bills each legislative session now, going back the past couple of years, saying, "See, Democrats across the state, we are working to try to get these." Bills addressed and these priorities addressed. Republicans are just not taking up our legislation. I would not be surprised if we see some of those legislative pieces come back in the same exact form, but now with Democrats in control, where they can push this piece of legislation legislation through.
This is something interesting to follow as well. We did see eight years of now, Senator elect, as you noted, Governor, former Governor Roy Cooper. He never had the ability to have a majority in either chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly. For the first two years of current Democrat Governor Josh Stein, same situation there. Andrew, this is also another shift in what we're going to be talking about as it relates to the governor now having significantly more power and potentially being able to lead some of the agenda in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Again, another thing we haven't seen in over 15 years. Yeah, Nick. I think this matters a lot more if these bodies are close. If the House was closer, if there was just a couple seat majority one way or another, and somehow pieces of legislation that Republicans backed that the governor was not agreeing with made its way through the General Assembly and a Republican Senate, he would be able to veto those pieces of legislation, and then in those vetoes not be able to be overridden. But in this case, with so many Democrats, Governor Stein's power now really.
Moves away from the veto pen. I I would imagine he may have signed his last veto of his after this year, of course, after November. Here, I think he may have signed his last new veto for his first term as governor in North Carolina. You know, the legislation that he's going to see now is going to be things that he has a heavy hand in writing, heavy hand in determining priorities for, and especially as Democrats across states see him. You know, now former Governor Cooper is in that.
Position of power, he's kind of the next man up at the state level here, as the leader of the state party, as the governor, and so it'll be interesting to see if he really plays a heavy hand in things like legislative priorities or even the budget process. One of the other things that's going to be interesting to follow, we hear about this all the time, Andrew. Particularly when one party is in charge, discussions about bipartisan pieces of legislation working across the aisle. This will be the first time that we will have split power in Raleigh since 2010. Do you anticipate that we will see potentially Republicans working from the North Carolina Senate with Democrats from the North Carolina House?
Or is this going to be more of a potentially a lame duck session in the North Carolina General Assembly? Yeah, Nick, I am hopeful we will see pieces of bipartisan legislation come through, but I think really this comes down to two factors. One being as current and longest serving. President pro tempore of the Senate, Phil Berger leaves office. Who comes into his shoes?
And I think you know, depending on who that is, there are different levels of being willing to work on a bipartisan nature. There are you know different leaders who will be more willing to do that, have those negotiations. I also think it depends on whether North Carolina Senate Republicans are able to hold all 26 votes. Right, if one Republican decides to vote with Democrat. On a particular piece of legislation, something maybe that they have worked on in the past but have stalled because of the rest of the Republican caucus not being on board.
If they are able to flip one Republican vote on some of these bigger pieces of legislation, you know that tie-breaking vote then goes to Lieutenant Governor, and as a Democrat, Rachel Hunt would have the ability to pass legislation.
So I'll be curious to see if the Democrats in the Senate can't pick off one or two. Republicans who are maybe more moderate or maybe feel frustrated by their priorities not been been pursued the last couple years now are are willing to compromise on them so that they are able to pass, or if if you know. Senate Republicans stand strong, like you saw in Virginia when they had a twenty-six, the twenty-four majority, and a Democratic governor, and just reject every piece of legislation. Regardless of what happens, it is going to be an absolutely fascinating start to twenty twenty-seven. As all one hundred and twenty members of the House and all fifty members of the North Carolina Senate will be sworn in very early next year, we will continue our post-election analysis.
And continued coverage of the next legislative session right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour and over on our website carolinajournal dot com. As always, we appreciate the analysis and update. Andrew Pomerantz joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. He was a champion, an icon, the original GOAT. But before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, he was Cassius Clay, a young man finding his voice, his purpose, and his place in the world.
Follow his journey through the victories, the challenges, and the defining moments that would shape a legend, both in and out of the ring. From Ben Watkins, creator of Cross, and executive producer Michael B. Jordan comes the first authorized scripted series about the man behind the legend, starring Jalen Besse as Muhammad Ali. Don't miss the greatest.
Now streaming only on Prime Video. Video. Have you ever wondered why some people seem to age slower, like they figured out some secret the rest of us missed?
Well, it turns out someone actually did, and it starts with a melon. Yep, a melon. There's a rare French melon that stays fresh four times longer than the fruit you and I buy at the store. Scientists discovered it produces an extraordinarily high level of a super antioxidant called SOD, the kind that helps defend skin from the visible signs of aging. And get this, meaningful.
Beauty partnered with world-renowned French cosmetic specialist Dr. Jean-Louis Sabat to capture that melon's youth-preserving power in a skincare line you can actually use every day.
So if you're tired of trying products that all promise the same thing, this one is truly different because it starts with something nature designed to stay young. Subscribe today and get the complete introductory system for just forty-nine ninety-five at meaningfulbeauty.com. You'll also get two free gifts, free shipping, and. And a sixty-day money-back guarantee. Visit meaningfulbeauty dot com and order today.
Good morning again. It's five fifty-three. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBT. North Carolina voters approved all three constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday evening, according to unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections. The amendments extend the state's constitutional photo ID requirement to all voters, lowers the state income tax cap to.
Three and a half percent, and requires the North Carolina General Assembly to enact a property tax levy limit. All three amendments will take effect once the State Board of Elections certifies the election results. Although the income tax amendment will apply to taxable years beginning on or after January the first to twenty twenty-seven, the board is scheduled to certify those statewide results over the next couple of weeks here in North Carolina. As of a late Tuesday evening, fifty-nine point five three percent of votes counted supported an amendment requiring photo ID for all voters, including mail-in votes, with ninety-two point seven six percent of precincts reporting statewide in twenty eighteen. Fifty-six percent of voters approved a similar amendment requiring photo ID for in-person voters.
State law currently requires mail-in voters to provide a copy of an acceptable photo ID or complete an ID exemption form. But that requirement, while enshrined in state law, is not in the Constitution. As of late Tuesday evening, the 61.83 percent of votes counted supported an amendment lowering the maximum allowable state income tax rate from seven percent, which is currently in the state constitution, to three and a half percent. Similarly, also in 2018, 57 percent of voters approved an amendment setting that cap at seven percent. Under the current state law, North Carolina's personal income tax rate is scheduled to drop to three.
3.9 from 3.99% to 3.49%. That will start next year in 2027. While the corporate income tax rate is scheduled to drop from two to one percent in 2028, the amendment does not enact those scheduled cuts, but does prevent future legislatures, which could be very relevant with everything unfolding Tuesday evening, from raising either either income tax rate above three and a half percent. The most recent Carolina Journal poll found that about sixty-four percent of likely voters supported that amendment, and that is going to flesh out as it relates to that final vote tally. Over sixty percent of voters being in favor.
The third amendment that voters supported on Tuesday evening was enacting local property tax levy limits. Sixty point three six percent of votes counted supported that amendment, requiring the North Carolina General Assembly. To limit how much local governments can increase their property tax levies each and every year when they go through their budget cycle, a property tax levy is the total amount of property tax revenue that a local government collects. Rather than the property tax rate that is applied to property values, that constitutional amendment will require that the general assembly limit how quickly the total can increase, but does not specify a limit or formula that allows lawmakers to include some of those exceptions. Lawmakers presumably will have to make their way back to Raleigh before the end of the calendar year when new lawmakers will be sworn in in the beginning parts or early parts.
Of 2027, with the disastrous election results for Republicans Tuesday evening, it is not immediately clear as of this morning when lawmakers will come back to Raleigh. If they will come back to Raleigh, we'll be tracking that over the next couple of weeks and bringing the latest right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour, and as always, over on our website carolinajournal.com. That's going to do it for a Thursday edition. WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We are back with you tomorrow morning, five to six, right here on Charlotte's FM News Talk, one hundred seven point nine FM, WBT.
He was a champion, an icon, the original GOAT. But before Muhammad Ali became the greatest, he was Cassius Clay, a young man finding his voice, his purpose, and his place in the world. Follow his journey through the victories, the challenges, and the defining moments that will shape a legend, both in and out of the ring. From Ben Watkins, creator of Cross, and executive producer Michael B. Jordan comes the first authorized scripted series about the.
Behind the Legend, starring Jalen Bates as Muhammad Ali. Don't miss the greatest.
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