NC Republicans will try to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes. How it could play out
North Carolina could have 14 new laws advancing the agenda of state Republicans if they are successful in overriding vetoes from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
The General Assembly returns to Raleigh at the end of July, and there are 14 vetoes from Stein that Republicans are hoping to overturn. The could mean loosened gun regulations, more immigration enforcement and banning diversity, equity and inclusion.
If Republicans, who have near-total control of the General Assembly, successfully override a veto, that means the bill becomes law. But near-total control isn’t total control, and there are several factors at play when it comes to a veto override.
How many votes are needed for an override
North Carolina state law requires a three-fifths supermajority to override a veto from the governor. But that number isn’t three-fifths of total lawmakers, it is three-fifths of total lawmakers on the floor at the time of the vote. The math changes depending on who is there.
Senate Republicans have a supermajority because there are 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. So if every Republican senator is present, and votes in favor of a veto override, it will be successful.
The House has a much closer margin, and many more lawmakers. Of 120 representatives, 71 are Republicans and 49 are Democrats. A three-fifths supermajority is 72, so House Republicans are short one vote if they are trying to override a veto along party lines.
Timing of veto override votes
A veto override vote can be called during a legislative session once the governor’s veto message has been sent back to the General Assembly.
In the Senate, the chamber’s rules dictate that Senate Rules Chair Bill Rabon, a Republican, will give 24 hours notice to the Senate minority leader, Sen. Sydney Batch, a Democrat. So senators will have a least a day’s notice that the vote will be taken.
All of the Senate bills vetoed by Stein are currently in the Rules Committee, awaiting action from Rabon.
The House may be the chamber to watch first. All of Stein’s vetoes of House bills have been added to the calendar for July 29, when the House is expected to reconvene for a voting session.
House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters in June that if Republicans have the numbers for a successful override, “we’ll go ahead and take up the overrides. ... It really becomes an issue of, do we have everybody here or not?”
Hall also said some override votes could come “later on down the road.” So that could mean weeks or months from now.
Or never.
Being on the calendar doesn’t always mean an override vote
Protesters often come to the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh when there is a controversial veto override expected. But just because a veto override vote has been calendared, which means added to a certain calendar date, that doesn’t necessarily mean the vote will be taken. Leaders of the chambers can decide not to take up a vote that day, and let it remain on the calendar for the next legislative session. They could skip the vote again another day, too.
There is strategy involved.
Republican leaders are unlikely to call for a veto override vote in the House or Senate unless they know it will be successful. At the end of June, Hall and Berger said veto override votes didn’t happen that week because too many lawmakers from their party were absent.
Both House and Senate must override for bill to become law
Overriding a veto in one chamber doesn’t mean the bill becomes law until the other chamber also successfully overrides the same veto.
In 2019, when Republicans had a majority but not a supermajority, the House overrode then-Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the state budget, a dramatic vote taken when most Democrats were absent. Rep. Deb Butler, a Wilmington Democrat, received national attention for shouting “I will not yield” at then-House Speaker Tim Moore for calling the vote in a half-empty chamber. House Republicans succeeded in the override.
But the Senate never called its override vote, because Republicans did not have a supermajority or the prevailing math winds to pull it off. In the end, there was no budget deal and no new state budget for 2019-2020.
Cooperation with ICE a potential override
A few bills vetoed by Stein received some votes from Democrats when they passed the General Assembly, including immigration and guns.
Two vetoed bills would require more cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including sheriffs and state officials.
House Bill 318 passed with all Republicans and one Democrat, Rep. Carla Cunningham of Charlotte, voting in favor. Assuming Cunningham votes for the bill again, as well as all Republicans, the House could override Stein’s veto. However a second immigration cooperation bill, Senate Bill 153, passed along party lines.
NC gun laws could change
Republicans also hope to override two Stein vetoes of bills that would change gun regulations in the state. The most controversial is the bill that would get rid of requiring permits to carry a concealed handgun.
The law now requires concealed carry permits for those age 21 and older, along with firearms safety training and a background check. “Freedom to Carry NC,” Senate Bill 50, would allow anyone age 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun.
If the veto is overturned, anyone age 18 and older would be able to carry a concealed gun without a permit, background check and firearms training.
Two Republicans voted against the bill in the House, while the vote fell along party lines in the Senate. And another 10 Republican House members were absent for the vote. It is unlikely that every single Republican in the House, plus a Democrat, would vote to override the veto.
Lawmakers ‘take a walk’ to avoid voting
Sometimes lawmaker absences are strategic.
Another strategy at play is the notion that a lawmaker will “take a walk” during an override vote. That means the lawmaker will leave the chamber floor for the purpose of missing the vote rather than having to vote for or against a bill, or an override.
A second gun bill that Stein vetoed, House Bill 193, would allow private school staff and volunteers to carry guns. One Democrat, Rep. Shelly Willingham of Rocky Mount, joined Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.
10 other vetoes up for overrides
Aside from the gun and immigration bills, there are another 10 bills that Stein vetoed. Three would ban DEI in state government, K-12 public education and universities.
The other seven vetoes are about bills related to gender identity, delaying carbon emission cuts, regulatory reform, state auditor powers and charter schools.
Republicans were successful in overriding 29 of Cooper’s vetoes in the 2023-24 legislative session.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "NC Republicans will try to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes. How it could play out."
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