CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Republican North Carolina Supreme Court Candidate Jefferson Griffin got a win Tuesday in his fight to challenge some 60,000 votes cast in November.
In a 5-1 ruling, North Carolina’s justices said they would hear Griffin’s challenge and delay certification of the race. Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs currently holds a 734-vote lead. Griffin’s legal team argued votes that were counted in the 2024 elections had issues with improper ID being used for registration, illegible votes from citizens living overseas, and votes that were not able to be properly challenged.
Both sides will now have to make their arguments before the court. Riggs is recusing herself, so conservatives will hold a 5-1 majority.
“This is about as friendly as you can imagine, at least in terms of partisanship. That doesn’t mean that it will absolutely side with Griffin, by any stretch of the imagination, but it does mean that if you’re going the play the odds, this is the table you’d want to go to,” said Western Carolina Professor Christopher Cooper.
Cooper said it is hard to predict what will happen, but a ruling in Griffin’s favor would likely have ramifications up and down the ballot. “If the court does decide with Griffin, it then will introduce a whole host of questions, not just about this race but about other races as well… and what effect those 60,000 challenged votes might have in those races.”
A spokesperson for North Carolina’s GOP told Queen City News they were happy with the court’s decision to delay certification. They accuse the State Board of Elections of failing to fairly consider their case back in December.
There was no new word from Rigg’s campaign Tuesday night, but the Justice and state Democrats held a rally in Raleigh over the weekend. They accused Republicans of trying to undo the will of the people.
“We live in a country where we respect the outcomes of elections, even when they disappoint us,” Riggs told reporters.
During the rest of January, both campaigns will have to file their arguments with the Supreme Court, the last due on January 24. That could mean a decision won’t be handed down until the end of the month or early February.
