Mask-banning bill: Gov. Cooper vetoes NC measure that included campaign finance provision

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a mask-banning bill with campaign finance measures Friday, citing concerns over dark money being funneled into North Carolina elections.

The bill in question, House Bill 237, titled "various criminal and election law changes," bans the wearing of masks in public except for protecting against contagious diseases, increases sentencing for those convicted while wearing a mask, among other protest-related stipulations. It had a bumpy road to the governor's office, facing heated debate from Democrats and those with ongoing health issues.

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"This legislation creates a gaping loophole for secret, unlimited campaign money in the middle of an election year," Cooper said in a press release. "While voters are kept in the dark, this scheme allows anonymous out-of-state billionaires to flood North Carolina with campaign contributions to rescue extreme right-wing candidates that Republicans now fear will lose. The legislation also removes protections and threatens criminal charges for people who want to protect their health by wearing a mask."

Frustration from Democrats first stemmed from a concern around immunocompromised individuals who need to wear masks in public to protect themselves from disease. The NAACP also expressed concern that the protest sections of the bill were a “dangerous attack on protest rights,” Deborah Maxwell, NAACP president for the North Carolina State Conference, said in a statement denouncing the bill.

Later, tensions rose when Republicans added a last-minute provision about campaign finance to the mask bill.

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The purpose of the bill, supporters said, was to protect communities from people using masks to conceal their identity when committing crimes.

Now that the bill has been vetoed, the legislature can choose to take up veto override votes.

Sen. Danny Earl Britt, R-Robeson, said in an email Friday that he is looking forward to "casting a vote to override this veto."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NC Gov. Roy Cooper vetoes mask banning, campaign finance bill