Early and Absentee Voters Should Check Status
BY Mildred Robertson
The
North Carolina State Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision on Friday, April
4, 2025, that as many as 65,000 North Carolinians who
thought they were eligible to vote could have their ballots thrown out. The
court says that the contested ballots in the state Supreme Court race should be
recounted and verified. The Court of Appeals gave the challenged voters 15 days
to prove eligibility.
In
this hotly contested race held in November 2024, Republican State Court of
Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin trailed incumbent Democrat Justice Allison
Riggs by fewer than 1,000 votes. Riggs
and the Democratic Party declared victory months ago after all the votes had
been counted. Griffin, however, challenged the validity of certain ballots for numerous
reasons.
The
lawsuit prevents the state elections board from certifying Riggs as the winner
five months after the election. The 2-1 ruling from the North Carolina Court
of Appeals came in response to Republicans’ months-long effort to overturn the results of the state Supreme Court election in
November. Democrat Allison Riggs, who currently sits on the NC State Court of
Appeals, defeated Appellate Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, by 734
votes.
Griffin currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals – the body that issued Friday’s ruling. A panel of three of his colleagues heard the case. Court of Appeals Judge Toby, the lone registered Democrat, dissented from the decision, stating that Griffin had not identified one voter who was ineligible to vote in the November elections under the laws and rules governing elections.
Justice Riggs stated,
“We will be promptly appealing this deeply misinformed decision that threatens
to disenfranchise more than 65,000 lawful voters and sets a dangerous
precedent, allowing disappointed politicians to thwart the will of the people.”
The state board
of elections previously rejected Griffin’s request and a superior court judge
upheld their decision. Friday’s ruling from the court of appeals overturned
that ruling. The Appeals Court ruling also reverses the decision of a trial judge who
upheld the State Board of Elections action in February.
If you think you may be among those
citizens whose vote has been challenged, you should have received a notice in
the mail from the North Carolina Republican Party which includes a link to
protest. You can also go to the State Board of Elections’ website. It is
organized by county and the reason for the challenge. You can search https://tinyurl.com/3b826h3v, then locate
the links to your home county. There you will find a list of names. If your
name is there you can find it by hitting ctrl+f and then type in your name.
Other
alternatives include a searchable spreadsheet by government watchdog Bob Hall.
Type https://tinyurl.com/bdf37zuy.
Or you may access the Triangle Blog website at The Griffin List.