The dramatic results of this week’s midterm elections will give us plenty to analyze for weeks to come. In the meantime, we’ve assembled some of the highlights related to housing in North Carolina. These election results will have a significant impact on the 2027 legislative long session, and everyone across the housing ecosystem should be gearing up to engage with our legislators. Here’s what you need to know:
Housing Bonds
The three local housing bonds on the ballot in NC all passed, totaling more than $266M for housing in Raleigh ($101.5M), Charlotte ($125M), and Buncombe County ($40). These funds will leverage additional public and private dollars to multiply their impact. Housing bonds typically perform well in North Carolina, and we are happy to see that trend continue as the need for more housing across the state grows.
Constitutional Amendments
All three constitutional amendments passed, including an amendment that will require the NC General Assembly to impose a statewide levy limit on property taxes. While this is disappointing, it’s important to note that the amendment doesn’t actually set the levy limit–the General Assembly will have to do that. The NC Housing Coalition will advocate for the best possible version of a levy limit.
For more information, review our analysis on the potential impact of a property tax levy limit, and learn more about what’s next for this amendment.
Democrats Secure NC House Majority
For the first time in 16 years, Democrats secured a majority in the state House. Pending the final election results, the margin in the state Senate will also be razor thin. This will be a sea change going into the 2027 legislative long session, where the NC General Assembly will pass a two-year budget. This is significant for affordable housing policy and funding in North Carolina, and we will need everyone across the housing ecosystem engaged in advocacy.
New Legislator Engagement
Dozens of new elected officials will need education about housing heading into the 2027 long session. We encourage everyone in our network to look up your 2027 elected officials and make an outreach plan. As we build relationships, we continue to cultivate champions for affordable housing in all of our elected bodies: Congress, the Senate, the state House, the state Senate, and the Governor’s Mansion.
And save the date for Housing Day 2027 on March 30-31, where we will meet with our state legislators in Raleigh to share a unified message that the NC General Assembly has a significant role to play in creating more affordable housing for North Carolinians.
