The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that over 60,000 contested ballots in a nail-biting race for a seat on the state’s highest court must be counted. This decision, delivered on April 11, is a significant victory for Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat, who is leading her Republican opponent, Judge Jefferson Griffin, by 734 votes after a series of recounts.
The court’s ruling overturns a previous decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, which had sided with Griffin. He argued that the ballots in question—more than 60,000 in total—should be excluded due to alleged registration irregularities, specifically voters failing to provide state-issued driver’s license numbers or Social Security numbers as required by a 2004 state law.
In a majority opinion signed by Republican Justice Trey Allen, the court acknowledged that the state elections board’s mishandling of registration details was concerning. However, the justices concluded that the errors were the fault of the board, not the voters themselves. Still, the court imposed a crucial stipulation: military and overseas voters who did not provide proper identification must verify their eligibility within 30 days or face having their ballots invalidated.
Justice Anita Earls, the only other Democrat on the court, partially dissented, warning that such a ruling could unfairly label thousands of overseas and military ballots as fraudulent unless their eligibility is proven. Earls stressed that overturning election results in this way is a serious matter in any democracy, especially when it involves ballots that were legally cast according to the rules in place at the time.
Riggs, who was appointed to the court in 2023 by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, voiced strong disapproval of the ruling, particularly its potential impact on military and overseas voters. “It is unacceptable that the Court is choosing to selectively disenfranchise North Carolinians serving our country, here and overseas,” Riggs stated, emphasizing her personal connection as the daughter of a military veteran.
The controversy continues to heat up as Griffin, trailing Riggs despite leading on election night, insists that ballots from overseas voters without IDs, or from individuals who have never lived in North Carolina, need further scrutiny. With over 5.5 million ballots cast in the election, the stakes remain high as the legal battle over these contested votes unfolds.
