Press Release: Opposition grows across North Carolina to proposed Constitutional amendments
RALEIGH — From county commissioners and school boards to labor unions, businesses, and community organizations, North Carolinians across the state are speaking out against three proposed Constitutional amendments on the November ballot.
More than 100 counties, local leaders, organizations, and other groups have publicly expressed opposition to one or more of the proposed amendments, reflecting growing concerns about their potential impact on public schools, local services, economic opportunity, and voting rights.
The opposition statements are being collected at NCVoteAgainst.org/opposition, and more are being added every day.
The three proposed amendments:
The income tax amendment: Add to the state Constitution a cap on the state's maximum income tax rate at 3.5 percent, limiting future lawmakers' ability to raise revenue from wealthy individuals and corporations to fund public schools, health care, and other essential services.
The property tax amendment: Limit the growth of property tax revenue collected by local governments, restricting their ability to respond to growing community needs, maintain essential services, and address emergencies.
The voter ID amendment: Expand the state Constitution's photo identification requirement to all methods of voting, raising concerns about additional barriers for eligible voters.
Opposition spans communities and sectors
More than 20 organizations have joined the NC By the People committee opposing all three amendments on the ballot in November: Action NC, North Carolina Association of Educators, NC Black Alliance, NC Budget & Tax Center, Carolina Federation, Carolina Forward, Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED-NC), Clean Water for North Carolina, Common Cause NC, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, Local Progress, NC Conservation Network, NC Counts Coalition, NC Latino Power, Democracy NC, Down Home North Carolina, Education Justice Alliance, NC For the People, NC Justice Center, NC League of Conservation Voters, Pro-Choice NC, Public School Forum of North Carolina, Public Schools First NC and Southern Environmental Law Center.
Other organizations such as Sierra Club North Carolina, NC Association of Social Workers, and the NAACP NC State Conference have also come out against all three amendments.
County governments from Gaston to Carteret have passed resolutions opposing the property tax amendment due to its potential impact on their ability to fund essential services, maintain infrastructure, and respond to disasters and other emergencies.
School boards and PTAs including Chatham County Schools, the NC PTA, and individual PTAs in counties across the state, have warned that restricting state and local revenue could make it harder to address already pressing needs, including aging school buildings, teacher shortages, and classroom resources.
Labor unions and worker organizations, including the State Employees Association of North Carolina, North Carolina Association of Educators, and UE 150 public workers union, have expressed opposition to the two tax amendments, citing concerns about cuts to public services and costs going up for working people.
Businesses and business organizations, including the Durham Chamber of Commerce and the Triad Business Journal, have raised concerns about the challenges of local government operating without adequate state investment and concerns that the property tax levy limit amendment offers state lawmakers a “blank check” to determine the details of and exceptions to the property tax levy limit when the amendment is already locked into the Constitution.
Meanwhile, voting rights and community organizations, including Democracy North Carolina and Common Cause North Carolina, have especially spoken out against the voter ID amendment, warning that additional voting restrictions could make it harder for eligible North Carolinians to participate in elections.
Opposition crosses political and geographic lines
Concerns about the amendments are not limited to one political party or region. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and Buncombe County Commissioners Drew Ball and Parker Sloan have come out against both tax amendments, and Republicans former House Speaker and long-time Representative Paul “Skip” Stam and Johnnie Carswell, former County Commissioner and President of the NC Association of County Commissioners, have both expressed strong opposition to the property tax amendment.
From rural communities to urban centers, public statements reflect concerns about how these Constitutional changes could affect North Carolina's future.
"These groups may represent different communities and have different reasons for speaking out, but their concerns point to the same fundamental question: Who gets to make decisions about North Carolina's future? Do future North Carolinians and local leaders representing local residents get to determine what is best for them, or current leadership in the corner offices at the General Assembly?" said Alexandra Sirota, a spokesperson for NC By the People. "Our state Constitution should protect our rights and our ability to build strong communities, not lock in policies that make it harder to fund what our families need or participate in our democracy."
North Carolinians urged to learn what's at stake
NC By the People, the ballot referendum committee behind the NC Vote Against campaign, is highlighting these public statements to help voters understand the broad range of concerns about the proposed amendments.
The committee has compiled public statements from more than 100 local governments, leaders, education groups, labor organizations, businesses, and community advocates.
"This growing opposition shows that North Carolinians from different backgrounds and perspectives recognize the stakes of these amendments," said Sirota. "We may not all come to this issue from the same place, but we share a commitment to protecting our communities and ensuring that North Carolinians have a voice in the decisions that shape our future."
The compilation of public opposition statements is available at NCVoteAgainst.org/opposition. Members of the media can also request specific statements, contacts, and additional information about the organizations that have spoken out at info@ncvotegainst.org.
Early voting runs through Oct. 31, and Election Day is November 3.
For more information, or to connect with a spokesperson from the NC By the People committee or any of our member organizations, please email info@ncvoteagainst.org or call (919) 213-0518.
About NC By the People
NC By the People is a ballot referendum committee made up of organizations representing communities, workers, voters, and advocates from across North Carolina. The committee formed to inform voters about and organize opposition to the three proposed constitutional amendments appearing on North Carolina’s November 2026 ballot. NC Vote Against is a project of NC By the People.