Bill Prevents Those Who Lose In Primary From Running In New Parties

Some North Carolina legislators think it's wrong that a primary election loser could switch and run in November as the nominee of a new political party.

The state currently has what are known as “sore loser” prohibitions, which prevent an individual who lost in a primary from seeking the same office as a write-in candidate.

The House approved election legislation Monday that would in part extend those prohibitions to situations anticipated this year.

The bill says a candidate who lost in a primary race last month would be ineligible to run for the same office this year with a new party.

The Green Party is North Carolina's newest official political party, and the Constitution Party is also expected to receive state recognition. Those parties would select their candidates by convention.

The legislation also requires criminal background checks on many state and county election board workers.