Cooper vetoes non-citizen voting bill, signs six others

Cooper said in his veto message that only citizens should be allowed to vote, and the bill "creates a high risk of voter harassment and intimidation and could discourage citizens from voting."

"Blocking legitimate voters from casting a ballot is a risk we cannot take when the law already prevents non-citizens from voting and has legitimate mechanisms to remove them from the rolls," Cooper said in his message.

The governor also signed six bills into law Wednesday, including one written as a response to the absentee ballot fraud issues that came to light following last year's 9th Congressional District election and another that was a hotly debated electricity regulation bill until the controversial sections were stripped out a few weeks ago.

Senate Republicans said in a statement Wednesday that Cooper's veto "continued his radical left-wing agenda."

"How radical do you have to be to block a bill making it harder for foreign nationals to vote in American elections?" they asked.

Cooper commented on that aspect of the bill in a news release Wednesday, saying the last Saturday before an election is "one of the most popular and convenient days to vote."

Following are the other bills Cooper signed Wednesday:

Senate Bill 559: Storm Securitization. This bill, initially suggested by Duke Energy, changes the way utilities finance storm repairs and is expected to save customers money. Lawmakers considered a second part of this bill, which would have changed the way state regulators approve rate increases, but that language was ultimately stripped from the bill.

Senate Bill 537: Licensing & HHS Amends & Rural Health Stable. This is a lengthy agency bill that also includes a new revolving loan program meant to help rural hospitals. This was a priority for Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and others in the state Senate.

House Bill 111: 2019-2021 Base Budgets/Certain Agencies. This is one of several budget bills that passed this session.

House Bill 470: Administration of Justice Changes. This makes various changes to state court processes.

Senate Bill 433: DNCR Omnibus & Other Changes. This is an agency bill dealing with state parks.