Democrats in North Carolina accused Republicans of deceptive behaviour after the state house held a vote to override Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's veto of a budget bill, while he was at a 9/11 memorial event.

Many Democratic representatives were missing when Republicans in the North Carolina legislature called a last-minute vote to pass the controversial state budget.

Republican leaders had spent months trying to persuade enough Democrats to meet the threshold for an override, and finally seized a moment when most opposing Democrats weren't at their seats.

It wasn't immediately clear how many Democratic lawmakers may have been attending memorials during the vote.