'Public records are the property of the people': NC lawmakers face opposition in effort to increase public records

By Will Doran, WRAL News, June 5, 2024

North Carolina Democratic lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment to open up the legislature's communications as public records. It's a response to a new state law Republicans passed, increasing secrecy around their communications and other records.

On Wednesday, Meyer proposed putting a constitutional amendment that would let voters decide in November whether state lawmakers' communications should be public records.

The proposal is almost guaranteed to fail at the legislature; Republican leaders have been clear they support the changes they made last year increasing secrecy and have no intent of undoing those changes now.

Meyer's proposed constitutional amendment would say, in part: "The people of North Carolina have the right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business. Public records are the property of the people. Meetings of public bodies should be open to the people. The records made, transmitted, or received by public officials and agencies, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of State government, and all bodies of local government, shall be open to public inspection, examination, and duplication."