Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation on Tuesday that would strip powers from several Democrats elected to statewide office this month, including removing the authority of Cooper's successor to appoint the state elections board.

Tucked away on the last page of the N.C. General Assembly's Hurricane Helene relief bill is a provision that could limit how North Carolina's booming municipalities handle their growth.Why it matters: The provision removes some zoning and land-use powers from cities.

“It’s a massive power grab,” says Melissa Price Kromm, executive director of the pro-democracy group North Carolina for the People Action. “They didn’t like what happened in the election, and they want to overturn the will of the people. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed a bill Tuesday that would strip power away from incoming Democratic officials in favor of Republican officials and the GOP-controlled Legislature. Cooper issued the veto after both houses of the Legislature approved it last week to condemnation from critics,

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) vetoed legislation that would have stripped several powers from incoming North Carolina elected Democratic officials, as the GOP is slated to lose its supermajority next year. The legislation included relief for parts of the Tar Heel State that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene,

On Tuesday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a Republican-backed relief package that would strip power away from his successor, Governor-elect Josh Stein, and other Democrats who won their elections earlier this month.