North Carolina HB 788: Fix Our Democracy.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 788

Short Title: Fix Our Democracy. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Buansi, Willingham, Cohn, and Rubin (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 8, 2025
*H788-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT AMENDING THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH A 2
NONPARTISAN REDISTRICTING PROCESS; REENACTING LEGISLATION THAT 3
ESTABLISHED A NONPARTISAN METHOD FOR JUDICIAL ELECTIONS; 4
EXTENDING THE WAITING PERIOD FOR FORMER LEGISLATORS WHO BECOME 5
LOBBYISTS; PROVIDING FOR ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION, AND 6
APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THAT PURPOSE, AND AUTOMATIC VOTER 7
REGISTRATION; INCREASING TRANSPARENCY BY REQUIRING ADEQUATE 8
NOTICE OF MEETINGS OF ALL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES AND SESSIONS 9
OCCURRING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COMPLEX AND REQUIRING LIVE VIDEO 10
AND AUDIO STREAMING OF ALL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION 11
MEETINGS AND SESSIONS OCCURRING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COMPLEX; 12
ENSURING VOTING PLACES ON CERTAIN COLLEGE CAMPUSES; PROHIBITING 13
VOTER ROLL PURGING; MAKING VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE CAMPAIGN 14
FINANCE LAWS REGARDING TRANSPARENCY IN SOURCES OF SPENDING, 15
DIGITAL ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGNS, PROTECTIONS AGAINST FOREIGN 16
INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS, AND LIMITING SUPER PAC INFLUENCE; 17
REESTABLISHING PUBLIC FINANCING FOR JUDICIAL CAMPAIGNS; AND 18
RESTORING CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS OF CERTAIN OFFENDERS. 19
Whereas, short-term political incentives are currently set against the long-term public 20
good; and 21
Whereas, the needed reforms are generally well known; and 22
Whereas, the people of North Carolina are demanding free and fair elections and a 23
true democracy; and 24
Whereas, restoring the people's trust in our work begins with restoring the people's 25
fundamental role in our elections; Now, therefore, 26
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 27
28
PART I. NONPARTISAN REDISTRICTING PROCESS 29
SECTION 1.1.(a) Section 3 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution reads as 30
rewritten: 31
"Sec. 3. Senate districts; apportionment of Senators. 32
The Senators shall be elected from districts. The General Assembly, at the first regular session 33
convening after the return of every decennial census of population taken by order of Congress, 34
shall revise the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators among those districts, subject 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 788-First Edition
to the following requirements:Assembly shall establish a nonpartisan process to revise the senate 1
districts and the apportionment of Senators among those districts pursuant to Section 25 of this 2
Article. 3
(1) Each Senator shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the 4
number of inhabitants that each Senator represents being determined for this purpose by dividing 5
the population of the district that he represents by the number of Senators apportioned to that 6
district; 7
(2) Each senate district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; 8
(3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a senate district; 9
(4) When established, the senate districts and the apportionment of Senators shall remain 10
unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population taken by order of Congress." 11
SECTION 1.1.(b) Section 5 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution reads as 12
rewritten: 13
"Sec. 5. Representative districts; apportionment of Representatives. 14
The Representatives shall be elected from districts. The General Assembly, at the first regular 15
session convening after the return of every decennial census of population taken by order of 16
Congress, shall revise the representative districts and the apportionment of Representatives 17
among those districts, subject to the following requirements:Assembly shall establish a 18
nonpartisan process to revise the representative districts and the apportionment of 19
Representatives among those districts pursuant to Section 25 of this Article. 20
(1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of 21
inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for 22
this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of 23
Representatives apportioned to that district; 24
(2) Each representative district shall at all times consist of contiguous territory; 25
(3) No county shall be divided in the formation of a representative district; 26
(4) When established, the representative districts and the apportionment of 27
Representatives shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population 28
taken by order of Congress." 29
SECTION 1.1.(c) Article II of the North Carolina Constitution is amended by adding 30
a new section to read: 31
"Sec. 25. Redistricting. 32