State Rep. Bert Jones, R-Rockingham, has been pushing this session to force N.C. counties that use electronic voting machines back onto paper ballots. His House Bill 607 initially required this shift, but the bill was amended this week to simply call for a year-long study of the issue, as well as a moratorium on new voting machine purchases in the interim. That bill passed the House last night, with Jones’ support. It moves to the Senate, but House members have said repeatedly this session that the Senate hasn’t been willing to pass study bills. Sometimes these studies don’t accomplish much, but they can cost a little money.
This one seems unlikely to cost much, though. It would be handled internally, through the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee.
Jones also sponsored a bill to have the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team in North Carolina, much like the president and vice president. Currently they run separately, and you could have candidates with wildly different philosophies win, which would be problematic if the governor dies or otherwise leaves office and the lieutenant governor assumes the post, Jones has said.
Full Article: Paper ballots bill becomes a study committee – News-Record.com: North State Politics.