Raleigh. A North Carolina appeals court has ruled in favor of a Republican claim challenging the validity of more than 65,000 votes cast in the November election, which could change the outcome of the race for a seat on the state Supreme Court. 

In a 2-to-1 decision, a three-judge panel decided to validate the claim of Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin, who is asking for the nullity of thousands of votes in the race he lost by 734 votes to Democrat Allison Briggs, according to official counts. 

Griffin questions ballots in Democratic leaned districts cast by latino and other minority voters for allegedly registering without providing their Social Security or driver’s license numbers, as well as ballots cast abroad without presenting proof of identification.

In their ruling, the two Republican justices said that “the inclusion of even one unlawful ballot in a vote total dilutes the lawful votes and ‘effectively disenfranchises’ lawful voters.” 

The court orders the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCBOE) to notify the more than 65,000 voters involved in the claim to provide valid identification or correct missing information on their records within 15 days. Otherwise, the court says, those votes should not be counted.  

However, Riggs announced this afternoon that she will appeal the decision of the Court of Appeals, which could take the case up to the state Supreme Court where she occupies one of the seats.  

“We will 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,” Riggs said in a statement after the ruling was announced. 


If the case reaches the 7-member Supreme Court, due Riggs has excused herself from the case, the decision could end in a 3-3 tie. In this scenario, the decision of the Court of Appeals would prevail. 

See more information about this case and how to find out if your vote is being questioned here: 

https://elpueblo.org/is-your-vote-being-questioned-by-judge-griffin/