North Carolina State Representative, District 88

Mary Belk has represented District 88 in Mecklenburg County in the North Carolina House since 2017 and chairs the House Democratic Joint Caucus¹². Raised in Charlotte, she earned a political science degree from UNC Charlotte and is a partner in a vacation rental business². She is the Democratic nominee for a sixth term²⁴.

Where they stand 16 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionLegal in all cases, left to the woman and her doctorhigh

  Questionnaire answer · high confidence

  • Answered that there should be no restrictions on abortion and said it is a personal decision a woman should make with her doctor, not one politicians should make. (2022-10-07) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 20, which limited most abortions to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (passed 72 to 48). (2023-05-16) source
• MarijuanaMedical use onlymedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • Answered yes when asked whether medical marijuana should be legalized in North Carolina. (2022-10-07) source
• GunsAll of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazinesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Was a primary sponsor of House Bill 732, which would require a permit to buy a long gun or assault weapon, a 72-hour waiting period, safe storage, firearm liability insurance and limits on magazine size, and would ban bump stocks and ghost guns. (2025-04-03) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 41, which repealed the state's pistol purchase permit requirement (passed 71 to 46). (2023-03-29) source
  • On second reading, voted against Senate Bill 50, which allows adults to carry a concealed handgun without a permit (passed 59 to 48). (2025-06-11) source
• RedistrictingIndependent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsored House Bill 20, the Fair Maps Act, which would create an independent citizens redistricting commission. (2025-01-30) source
  • On second reading, voted against Senate Bill 249, which redrew the state's congressional districts in the middle of the decade (passed 66 to 48). (2025-10-22) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • On second reading, voted for House Bill 76, which expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and directed the state to pursue work requirements if federal regulators allow them (passed 96 to 23). (2023-02-15) source
  • Answered yes when asked whether she would vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina. (2022-10-07) source
• Paid leaveCreate a national paid family and medical leave program plus paid sick daysmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsored House Bill 499, the NC Paid Family Leave Insurance Act, which would create a state paid family and medical leave insurance program. (2025) source
  • Cosponsored House Bill 521, which would require employers to provide earned paid sick days. (2025) source
• Gender care for minorsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 808, which bars gender transition treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for minors, with limited exceptions (passed 74 to 45). (2023-08-16) source
• Transgender athletesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which limits girls' and women's school and college teams to students who are female at birth (passed 74 to 45). (2023-08-16) source
• Curriculum and booksNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 49, the Parents' Bill of Rights, which sets parents' rights to review curriculum and school materials (passed 72 to 47). (2023-08-16) source
• Election rulesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 747, which ended the three-day grace period for mail ballots arriving after Election Day and changed same-day registration rules (passed 72 to 44). (2023-10-10) source
• ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 10, which requires sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration detainers and added money for private school scholarships (passed 72 to 44). (2024-11-19) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 318, the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act, which expanded requirements for jails to cooperate with federal immigration detainers (passed 72 to 48). (2025-07-29) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 153, the North Carolina Border Protection Act, which expanded state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement (passed 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
  • On second reading, voted against House Bill 261, which created longer sentences for felonies committed by people unlawfully in the country (passed 84 to 29). (2025-04-30) source
• DEI programsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 227, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in public K-12 schools (passed 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 558, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in public colleges and universities (passed 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 171, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in state agencies (passed 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
• School choiceNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Said the state has made mistakes in implementing charter schools, which as a whole have not performed as well as public schools. (2022-10-07) source
  • On second reading, voted against House Bill 823, Choose Your School, Choose Your Future, which expanded the state's private school scholarship program to families of all incomes (passed 65 to 45). (2023-05-17) source
• Energy and climateNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 266, which removed the state's 2030 interim goal for cutting carbon emissions from power plants (passed 74 to 46). (2025-07-29) source
• Policing and crimeNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • On second reading, voted for House Bill 813, the Pretrial Integrity Act, which required judges rather than magistrates to set release conditions for some serious charges and allowed a 48-hour hold for people arrested while already on pretrial release (passed 92 to 25). (2023-05-03) source
  • Voted against final passage of House Bill 307, Iryna's Law, which tightened pretrial release rules and changed death penalty procedures (passed 81 to 31). (2025-09-23) source
• Term limitsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted against House Joint Resolution 151, which asked Congress to call a convention to propose congressional term limits (passed 69 to 48). (2023-03-08) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Religion in schools, China policy.