For liberal and progressive voters in North Carolina, there was much to celebrate Tuesday night with Democratic candidates significantly out-performing Republicans in local, state and federal elections. But one of the few results troubling to those who support robust governance was the approval of a trio of constitutional amendments on the ballot – a pair of which limit tax policy. Critics have warned the move could hinder how both the state and local governments pay for key services or if response to either financial or natural disasters.
At his post-election press conference on Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein touted the results of major Democratic gains as a sweeping mandate of how to govern in the coming years. But his positive messaging about the legislature’s work ended at the constitutional amendments.
“I do believe that if voters had enough information,” Stein told reporters, “and understood what the consequence of a 3.5% income tax is on people, they would’ve rejected it.”
Instead, all three amendments passed with roughly 60% of the vote. The governor said he believes the wording on the ballots about the tax amendments was “drafted cynically” to capitalize on voters’ desire for affordability, when the reality of the changes means local and state governments can ultimately provide less funding and fewer resources.
“If you say to somebody, ‘Do you want to pay no more than 3.5% 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’s 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 consider these amendments to be a con job on the people of North Carolina,” he concluded, “and we’re now going to have to deal with its constraints.”
In the final weeks before the election, officials in Orange County in both the state and local governments warned about those potential consequences of the amendments passing. North Carolina House Rep. Renée Price, who ran unopposed in the general, even spent her time and money campaigning to tell voters what was at risk – sharing worries that the property tax change, in particular, would hamstring local governments’ ability to fund schools, emergency services and senior resources.
The constitutional amendment section of the ballot was worded simply compared to many measures, but opponents said that style provided little description to voters on what would happen if enacted. And while voters in Orange and Chatham counties voted overwhelmingly against each proposal, the amendments passed fairly comfortably statewide. (Photos via the North Carolina Board of Elections.)
Orange County Commissioner-elect Karen Stegman celebrated her victory and many other Democrats’ across the country on Tuesday. But she told 97.9 The Hill “there’s no way around” the amendments’ approval impacting the county’s ability to meet community members’ needs.
“It’s deeply, deeply concerning,” Stegman said, “and it was…to put it in the best possible light, not [a] transparent process by the state GOP. But it’s designed to help corporations and hurt communities. So, it’s going to take a lot of work and planning with the commission and our county leaders to think about how we mitigate this and what does that look like.”
Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jean Hamilton agreed. She said the ultimate result was not a surprise because of the economic environment the state is in but added that she believes their approval feels short-sighted.
The shift of the North Carolina General Assembly, however, from the long-held Republican control may provide an opportunity.
“I hope,” Hamilton told 97.9 The Hill, “the laws that are written — that will actually execute the details — will protect the county’s ability to raise taxes, to meet its mandatory services, as well as support the voter-approved school bonds and other investments that we make for the residents of Orange County. So, I’m hoping we get a legislature that understands how to support Orange County and the whole state.
Price shared similar sentiments. Although she feels more pessimistic about the Voter ID amendment, she said there’s a chance her party’s newfound control of the House – paired with Republican’s slim one-seat majority in the Senate – could lead to more lenient wording in the finalized amendments.
“For example, North Carolina already is scheduled to drop the personal income tax rate to 3.49%, which is below the cap provided by the amendment,” the House District 50 representative said. “The property tax amendment has no ‘formula’ or clarification on how the state will control county or municipal property tax collection. All we know is that the State Legislature will decide.”
For more results from the 2026 elections, check out Chapelboro’s rundown of key races here.
Featured photo via AP Photo/George Walker IV.
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Approved NC Constitutional Amendments Concern Democrat Legislators. Could Their Wins Mitigate the Effects? Chapelboro.com.
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