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HB 788

Fix Our Democracy.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 32 co-sponsors

Constitutional requirement for nonpartisan redistricting after every census, removing map-drawing from lawmakers and establishing a transparent, statutorily guided process.

Passed 1st Reading
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 788

HB 788 — "Fix Our Democracy." (North Carolina, 2025) — Summary

Status: Introduced (House Bill), First Edition filed; referred to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (Apr 8, 2025). Primary sponsors: Representatives Buansi, Willingham, Cohn, and Rubin.

Purpose
- A multi-part reform package intended to strengthen election integrity, increase transparency in government and legislative proceedings, reduce partisan influence in districting and campaigning, expand voter access, and restore certain civil rights. The bill also proposes a state constitutional amendment to establish a nonpartisan redistricting process.

Key provisions (high-level)
- Nonpartisan redistricting (constitutional amendment)
- Adds a new Section 25 to Article II of the NC Constitution requiring the General Assembly to establish by statute a nonpartisan process to redraw legislative and U.S. House districts after each decennial census.
- Removes the General Assembly’s direct role in drawing districts; mandates contiguous districts, equal population, and to the extent practicable, no county splits.
- Requires districts adopted under the process to have the force of acts of the General Assembly.
- The amendment language is to be submitted to voters at the statewide general election (November 2026).

  • Judicial elections / judicial selection

    • Reenacts provisions that establish a nonpartisan method for judicial elections (text not fully reproduced in the excerpt but indicated as a bill component).

  • Campaign finance and election influence

    • Increases transparency about sources of political spending.
    • Regulates digital advertising campaigns and requires disclosures to limit hidden influence.
    • Implements measures to protect elections from foreign interference.
    • Limits the influence of large independent expenditure groups (e.g., “super PACs”)—details to be specified in implementing statutory language.

  • Voter registration and access

    • Authorizes online voter registration and provides appropriations for implementation.
    • Establishes automatic voter registration (details to be implemented by statute).
    • Prohibits certain purges of voter rolls (to protect eligible voters from removal).
    • Requires ensuring voting locations on certain college campuses to facilitate student voting.

  • Legislative transparency

    • Requires adequate public notice for meetings of legislative committees and sessions in the Legislative Complex.
    • Requires live audio and video streaming of all committee and commission meetings and sessions held in the Legislative Complex.

  • Revolving-door / lobbyist restrictions

    • Extends the waiting period before former legislators may register and work as lobbyists (specific extension period to be provided in bill text).

  • Public financing and judicial campaigns

    • Reestablishes public financing mechanisms for judicial campaigns (intended to reduce private-money influence).

  • Restoration of rights

    • Restores citizenship/voting rights for certain offenders (scope and eligibility rules to be detailed).

Who is affected
- Voters, especially historically underrepresented groups and students (via access & registration changes).
- State and local election administrators (new duties for online/automatic registration, prohibitions on purge, campus voting sites).
- Political actors: candidates, parties, PACs, independent expenditure groups, and former legislators (lobbying restrictions, campaign finance transparency).
- The General Assembly (relinquishing direct map-drawing powers to a statutorily-created nonpartisan process).
- State courts and judicial candidates (changes to selection/election and public financing for judicial campaigns).

Procedural and timeline highlights
- The redistricting change is a constitutional amendment and — if passed by the General Assembly in final form — must be submitted to voters; the bill text specifies submission to the November 2026 general election.
- Many provisions will require implementing legislation, rulemaking, or administrative action by state agencies (e.g., State Board of Elections) and associated appropriations for technology and staffing.
- The bill is multipart and will likely proceed in stages: constitutional referral, statute-writing to implement the nonpartisan process, and agency rulemaking for registration and transparency requirements.

Potential impacts and considerations
- Governance: Transfers mapmaking authority from legislators to a nonpartisan process, which could reduce partisan gerrymandering but will depend on implementing statutory design and checks.
- Administration: Online/automatic registration, live-streaming requirements, and campus voting sites will require funding, IT work, and new procedures for election administrators.
- Campaign finance: Additional disclosure and limits on outside spending could increase transparency but will require enforcement mechanisms.
- Legal/constitutional: The redistricting amendment and other election-law changes may prompt legal challenges; details of statutory implementation are critical to effect.

Note
- The bill text excerpt provided is Part I and introductory sections of a broader package titled “Fix Our Democracy.” The bill is lengthy and contains many specific technical and implementation provisions not fully reproduced here. Stakeholders should consult the full bill text and subsequent committee reports for exact statutory language, enforcement mechanisms, and fiscal provisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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