North Carolina’s fast-growing school voucher program is now funding nearly $600 million in taxpayer-backed scholarships for private school students, and Republican-led lawmakers have handed Gov. Josh Stein another school-choice defeat.

Spending on Opportunity Scholarships reached $589 million in 2026, up from $4.6 million in 2015, and now supports more than 100,000 private-school students, Axios reported, citing data from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. The program has surged since lawmakers expanded eligibility, climbing from $79.5 million in 2022 to $432.2 million in 2025.

The new numbers landed as House Bill 87 became law June 3 after the General Assembly overrode Stein’s veto. The bill, the Educational Choice for Children Act, opts North Carolina into a federal school-choice tax credit launching in 2027, allowing taxpayers in participating states to claim up to $1,700 annually for donations to qualifying scholarship-granting organizations.

Stein said after the override that he vetoed the measure because the state was still waiting for “sound guidance” from the federal government. He argued lawmakers should put more money into public schools, while saying he sees potential for public-school students to benefit through tutoring, after-school programs and summer learning.

Supporters and opponents split sharply over the override, with school-choice advocates calling it a win for parents and teachers union leaders arguing it undercuts public schools.The spending spike has drawn oversight. State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office is auditing the Opportunity Scholarship program and expects to release results later this year. With voucher spending still projected to grow, the audit could shape North Carolina’s next fight over school choice.

This week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that an illegal alien was arrested for attempting to vote in this election by falsifying his proof of citizenship. 

On June 1st, 70-year-old Canadian citizen Denis Bouchard, was sentenced to two months in federal prison for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote in North Carolina elections. Officials say that Bouchard has lived in the States since the 1960s, but never officially became a citizen, and that voting records show he unlawfully cast ballots in a total of nine federal elections between 2004 and 2024. (RELATED:North Carolina Primaries Set Key House Matchups for Midterms)

Bouchard illegally certified that he was a U.S. citizen on the North Carolina voter registration applications and ballots. pleaded guilty to two counts immigration code and faces one year of supervised release. He will also be subject to consequences from immigration and customs enforcement.

“We will not allow aliens to disrupt and degrade the U.S. democratic system by lying to pervert the outcome of our elections. Every American citizen’s vote is sacred. Allowing a single illegal vote by any ineligible person destroys and negates a citizen’s vote,” said U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle.  

North Carolina is a state that already requires voter ID laws, although allows several exceptions for other means of proof of ID. If a voter can not provide a voter ID when voting, they may still cast a ballot by completing an ID exception form. This allows people to claim a multitude of exceptions behind not providing photo ID, and only certifying their identity by signing the sheet of paper. (RELATED:NC Legislature Passes Historic Education Funding Bill Targeting Rural Schools)

The North Carolina 2026 general election is currently highlighting a close race between former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, and former NC Governor Roy Cooper, to fill GOP Senator Thom Tillis’ seat. The GOP have been projected to win 11 out of 14 of the House seats. Including flipping North Carolina’s 1st district, where GOP Candidate Laurie Buckhout has earned a rematch versus Democratic Incumbent Don Davis. 

North Carolina held primaries for the upcoming mid-terms, including key races for the GOP and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

In the newly redrawn District 1, retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout won the crowded GOP primary by about 40%, clearing the North Carolina runoff threshold and avoiding the intraparty fight. This gives Col. Buckhout a rematch with Democratic Incumbent Rep. Don Davis. 

The newly redrawn district gives Buckhout a stronger path to the capitol than it did in 2024. Col. Buckhout narrowly defeated Davis The new district lines moved an area with a Trump 2024 margin from 51%, to include areas increasing it to 55%. This election is crucial for the N.C. GOP since this could result in a flip of a seat in an already razor thin margin in the House. (RELATED:North Carolina Senate Race Heats Up as Cooper, Whatley Pull in Millions)

The GOP saw a strong showing for their endorsed candidates across the board. Rep. Virginia Foxx won the 5th District GOP primary with 74.55% of the vote. Rep. David Rouzer dominated in the 7th District with 80.48%. Rep. Pat Harrigan won the 10th District primary with 87.69%, while Rep. Chuck Edwards defeated Adam Smith in the 11th District GOP primary with 70.09%. Freshman Rep. Brad Knott won the 13th District primary with 89.93%, and Rep. Tim Moore took 83.02% in the 14th.

The closest race came on the Democratic side in the 4th District, where Rep. Valerie Foushee held only a 1,200-vote, 0.98-point lead over Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam on election night. All other democratic primaries were won in similar landslide fashion. (RELATED:NC Budget Bust: Lawmakers Flee Raleigh as State Remains Only in Nation Without Spending Plan)

The North Carolina State Board of Elections delayed statewide results until 8:30 p.m. after voting was extended by one hour at the Littleton precinct in Halifax County. The board said the site opened late because of an electronic poll book synchronization issue and that backup procedures were not immediately used. State officials emphasized that minor disruptions can happen across more than 2,600 polling places. Despite the reported anomalies, there have not been any reported issues with the voting collection.