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From NBC News: A three-judge panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Friday that more than 65,000 votes cast in the contested race for the state Supreme Court in 2024 must be recounted and verified — a win for the Republican candidate in the razor-thin, disputed contest and a decision that could potentially tip the election results in his favor.
In the ruling, the Republican majority involved in the decision ordered that a group of more than 65,000 voters, whose eligibility was challenged by Republican Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin and his lawyers, now have 15 business days to provide state elections officials with the necessary proof of identity that would verify their votes. The court ruled that any voters who don’t respond will not have their votes counted in the race between Griffin and Democrat Allison Riggs, which is still caught in legal battling five months after Election Day.
The arduous task of verifying those voter identities will fall on the North Carolina State Board of Elections. And the decision sets up an appeal to North Carolina’s highest court, the state Supreme Court — the body that the winner of this election will join.
HOW IT STARTED: The day after Election Day, in November 2024, Riggs, the incumbent Democratic state Supreme Court judge who was appointed to the bench in 2023, was ahead by 734 votes. This was confirmed by a full machine recount, along with a partial hand recount.
However, Griffin’s team has filed hundreds of legal challenges across all counties in North Carolina, alleging that over 65,000 illegal votes were cast in the election.
Many of the allegations centered around people who Griffin’s lawyers claimed didn’t have a driver’s license number or Social Security number on file in their voter registration records. Their protests were also related to overseas voters who haven’t lived in North Carolina and overseas voters who failed to provide photo identification with their ballots.
The Republican majority on the Court of Appeals rule Friday that the State Board of Elections must immediately identify the voters in question, and notify them that they have 15 business days to verify their information or their vote will be tossed.
Overseas voters who have never lived in North Carolina should not have their ballots counted, the Court of Appeals ruled.
The one Democratic judge on the Court of Appeals is blasting the ruling, claiming it amounts to “changing the rules by which these lawful voters took part in our electoral process after the election to discard their otherwise valid votes” and called the majority’s ruling an “an attempt to alter the outcome of only one race among many on the ballot is directly counter to law, equity, and the Constitution.”
Riggs is vowing to appeal the ruling.
— Allison Riggs (@AllisonJRiggs) April 4, 2025
Democrats are fuming over the ruling, claiming that because two recounts still showed Riggs won, that should be the end of it.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, claimed, “Allison Riggs won the election for Supreme Court. Her victory was confirmed by two recounts. Yet, her opponent Jefferson Griffin is asking the Court to throw out the valid votes of tens of thousands of registered NCians — voters who complied with our photo ID law — including thousands of military members. It’s as outrageous as it sounds and a legal assault on our democracy.”
Allison Riggs won the election for Supreme Court. Her victory was confirmed by two recounts. Yet, her opponent Jefferson Griffin is asking the Court to throw out the valid votes of tens of thousands of registered NCians — voters who complied with our photo ID law — including…
— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) March 21, 2025
A workers union group, SEIU, fumed, “In North Carolina, voters elected a Supreme Court judge fair and square. But her Republican opponent is trying to steal the seat through legal technicalities. Voters decide elections—not politicians or courts. We can’t let them overrule the people!”
In North Carolina, voters elected a Supreme Court judge fair and square. But her Republican opponent is trying to steal the seat through legal technicalities. Voters decide elections—not politicians or courts. We can’t let them overrule the people! pic.twitter.com/xliw9rs6fr
— SEIU (@SEIU) April 4, 2025
However, North Carolina Republican Party Chair Jason Simmons wrote, “Today, the N.C. Court of Appeals vindicated the election integrity protests of Judge Jefferson Griffin. This decision and order finally holds the N.C. State Board of Elections accountable for their actions and confirms every legal vote will be counted in this contest. #NCPOL.”
Today, the N.C. Court of Appeals vindicated the election integrity protests of Judge Jefferson Griffin. This decision and order finally holds the N.C. State Board of Elections accountable for their actions and confirms every legal vote will be counted in this contest. #NCPOL
— Jason Simmons (@simmonsncgop) April 4, 2025
🚨 #BREAKING: In the North Carolina Supreme Court race where the Democrat won by just ~700 votes, 65,000 VOTERS must now prove they were eligible to vote, or face removal from the count – ruling
Ballots in question lean heavily Democrat.
We could be in for a red race flip.
15… pic.twitter.com/EVMOaeFmmK
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 4, 2025
The ruling does not explicitly discard the roughly 65,000 challenged ballots, but it puts the Riggs campaign — and voters — on an extraordinarily tight window to fix, or “cure,” the voters’ registrations. #ncpol https://t.co/LsBxkptcbb
— WFAE (@WFAE) April 4, 2025
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