This Is No Way to Run a Business, Y’all

Legislative News by Nelda Holder –

Well, more specifically, let’s talk about what a poor job the NC General Assembly’s leadership is doing.

The Budget

And let’s start with the fact that when the Legislature convened for 2026, it was without having a formal 2025-2027 biennium state budget. Read those numbers again, please. When the Legislature convened for 2026, it was without having a formal 2025-2027 biennium state budget. That budget had been due to be passed by July 1, 2025. When they did not get the job done on their own, Gov. Josh Stein issued this statement in December, 2025:

“Time is of the essence, and the people of North Carolina deserve better. I’m at the table. We must come together to give our teachers and law enforcement pay raises, fully fund Medicaid, and support our state employees.”

Now wouldn’t you think that a state’s governing body responsible for creating the coming year’s budget would think that was an absolute priority? Compare it to any business worth its salt … and even those not worth their salt. Planning for the next year is about as fundamental as it gets, and sitting smack in the middle of that plan is the necessity of a well-prepared budget.

Indeed, the fair state of North Carolina was the only state in the nation to move into 2026 without a properly considered and approved budget, affecting planning on so many levels—but in particular including two extremely vital obligations: schools and state employees.

And as Joseph Harris, Fiscal Policy Analyst for the John Locke Foundation, pointed out in a November 24, 2025, article for the foundation:

“It has now been more than two years since policymakers last sent a comprehensive budget to the governor’s desk…. This breakdown represents a severe failure of Governance, and the legislature is squarely to blame….”

Harris stresses—rightfully—that the same failure occurred for the comprehensive FY 2024-25 budget, making it two years of failure on the part of the Republicans who control both the House and Senate.

You may—and should—read this entire article: “The budget failure and its consequences” at www.johnlocke.org/the-budget-failure-and-its-consequences. If you do, you also might want to contact both these people:

• Rep. Destin Hall, House Speaker
  (919) 733-3451
  [email protected]
• Sen. Phil Berger, Senate President Pro Tempore
  (919) 733-5708
  [email protected]

There is no guarantee, however, that you’ll catch either of them in the office. The next session of both chambers isn’t scheduled until March 9, after the North Carolina primaries that are now underway. But when they do reconvene in Raleigh, I like the double entendre that appeared on Raleigh’s WRAL-TV teaser: “Budget, mental health worries and more: What NC lawmakers are expected to prioritize in 2026.”

The March 3 Primary

We are in the midst of early voting season right now, and there’s been a lot of discussion in the news this winter regarding changes in voting procedures. In general, the State Board of Elections website can answer most questions. Go to www.ncsbe.gov.

Here are some notes to help you through the process, in case you have questions.

Check Your Registration: Go to www.ncsbe.gov/registering/checking-your-registration

In Person Early Voting: In-person early voting for the March primary election began on February 12. For sites and schedules, go to vt.ncsbe.gov/EVSite.

Absentee Ballot/Vote By-Mail: any North Carolina registered voter can vote by mail. Go to www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail. Registered voters can request an official NC Absentee Ballot Request Form at votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, the second Tuesday before Election Day.

Instructions for Military and Overseas Voter Services are also available at www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail, along with instructions for Accessible Ballots for the blind or visually impaired.

Note: Your mail-in absentee ballot must be at the county board office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, March 3, 2026. It will not count if it’s still in the mail.

Nelda Holder is the author of The Thirteenth Juror – Ferguson: A Personal Look at the Grand Jury Transcripts.