Cooper vetoes election date change, 2022 primary likely to remain in May. Why it matters

North Carolina’s primary elections for 2022 will likely remain scheduled for May 17, as Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill Friday that would have moved them to June.

There are two ways the primary date might still change. The first way: The GOP-controlled legislature could override the Democratic governor’s veto — although that’s unlikely since every Democratic lawmaker voted against the bill in the first place, and Republicans don’t have enough votes on their own. The second way: The N.C. Supreme Court could move the date.

That’s why the primary is in May instead of March to begin with; the Supreme Court moved it back to give more time for a gerrymandering case to play out, just in case it ends with the state’s political district maps being ruled unconstitutional and ordered to be redrawn.

Perhaps anticipating a loss at the Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 Democratic majority, GOP lawmakers later proposed moving the primary back even further. If the maps are overturned, more time to do a redraw would increase the chances that the legislature will control the process instead of the court hiring an outside expert to do the work.

Democrats, who have accused their GOP colleagues of drawing unconstitutional maps to give Republicans a disproportionate amount of political power in future elections, were not swayed by the argument that a later election date was necessary. The court already chose May 17, they argued, and the legislature shouldn’t try to override the court’s order.

However, the court has moved the date once, and it’s possible the justices could decide to move it again if they overturn the maps. That decision will likely come soon. Oral arguments in the gerrymandering case are scheduled for Wednesday, and the ruling is expected to follow quickly.

North Carolina election calendar

If the primary date does remain on May 17, here are some key dates to keep in mind.

▪ Deadline to finalize the maps: Between Feb. 14 and 23.

▪ Candidate filing: Feb. 24 to March 4.

▪ Deadline to register to vote: April 22.

▪ The 2022 primary: May 17.

▪ The “second primary” runoff election, for local elections, if needed: July 5.

▪ The “second primary” runoff election, for federal elections, if needed: July 26.

▪ Deadline to register to vote for the general election: Oct. 14.

▪ The 2022 general election: Nov. 8.

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.

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