RALEIGH, N.C. — Each of the three constitutional amendments on North Carolina’s statewide ballot passed Tuesday, writing a state income tax ceiling, a path to local property tax limits and a universal photo ID requirement into the state constitution.
Unofficial returns showed the income tax measure winning the widest margin, about 62% to 38%. It bars the state from setting personal or corporate income tax rates above 3.5%. The personal rate is 3.99% today and is already scheduled to drop to 3.49% in 2027, so the cap does not change anyone’s tax bill next year.
The property tax amendment passed with roughly 60% support. It authorizes the General Assembly to set a levy limit, a ceiling on how much property tax revenue counties and cities can collect, generally pegged to inflation and population growth. The amendment itself sets no number; lawmakers are expected to write the details, most likely in 2027.
The voter ID amendment also drew about 60%. State law already requires identification for in-person and mail voting, but the constitution previously spelled out the photo requirement only for people voting in person. Extending it to every voter puts the mail-ballot rule beyond the reach of a simple future statute.
That durability is the core of the change. An ordinary law can pass the legislature with a simple majority, while undoing a constitutional provision takes a three-fifths vote of lawmakers followed by approval from a majority of voters.
Republican legislators who put the measures on the ballot argued that a lower income tax helps the state compete for employers, pointing to neighboring Tennessee, which has no personal income tax, and that homeowners in fast-growing areas need protection from steep bills after revaluations. House Speaker Destin Hall of Caldwell County had said some local governments were collecting far more than growth and inflation justify.
Opponents, including local government officials, education advocates and Democratic legislators, countered that the General Assembly already had the power to do all of this by statute. They warned that revenue caps could force counties to trim schools, public safety and health services. One national tax research group ranks North Carolina’s property taxes below those of most states.
Results remain unofficial until the State Board of Elections certifies the count.
Section: More Asheville NC politics news
Filed under: Asheville NC Politics News
