Judge Jefferson Griffin (L); Judge Allison Riggs (R) (Credit: North Carolina Judicial Branch)
What was hailed by Democrats as a narrow 734-vote victory for Allison Riggs in the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race is now spiraling into electoral chaos, as a court ruling has cast doubt over tens of thousands of ballots that could flip the outcome in favor of conservative challenger Judge Jefferson Griffin.
In a stunning decision filed Thursday, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that approximately 65,000 ballots—cast by voters with incomplete registration information, missing photo identification, or submitted by individuals who have never lived in North Carolina—may be invalid under state and federal election law.
The 2-1 decision was authored by Judges John Tyson and Fred Gore, both registered Republicans. Judge Tobias Hampson, a Democrat, dissented from the majority opinion.
The court ordered election officials across the state’s 100 counties to notify affected voters, giving them 15 business days to prove they are legally eligible to vote, or their ballots could be tossed out, handing conservatives a chance to reclaim a critical seat on the state’s highest court.
Democrat Allison Riggs was declared the winner in November by just 734 votes—garnering 2,770,412 votes (50.01%) to Griffin’s 2,769,678 (49.99%).
The race went to a recount since the vote difference was fewer than 10,000 votes. Republican Griffin was leading the race until Democrat Riggs overcame her opponent weeks after the election.
But Griffin immediately filed protests, arguing that unlawful ballots had tainted the outcome.
Judge Griffin argued that thousands of votes were cast by individuals who never completed their registration by providing a valid driver’s license or the last four digits of their Social Security number, as required under state law since 2004.
Others allegedly failed to include a copy of their photo ID—another legal requirement—and some were cast by “Never Residents,” overseas voters who have never lived in North Carolina but claimed eligibility through a parent.
In its 37-page opinion, the court blasted the North Carolina State Board of Elections for failing to uphold election laws. In fact, the Board itself had used QR codes and mass mailings to communicate with voters—then rejected Griffin’s use of similar methods to notify challenged voters.
The court ruled that the Board’s internal procedures could not override state law, which clearly requires all voters to provide proper registration information and comply with photo ID laws. It also stated that the Board had no authority to “exempt” military and overseas voters from these legal requirements.
In a direct rebuke to the Board’s handling, the court wrote, “To condemn a non-statutory and voluntary method of notice and means to seek additional information, which the Board has repeatedly used, is essentially throwing stones while sitting inside a glass house.”
The State Board of Elections must now notify the 65,000 affected voters, giving them 15 business days to verify their eligibility. If they fail to do so, their ballots will be removed from the final count.
You can read the ruling below:
The post North Carolina Supreme Court Race in Turmoil: Democrat’s 700-Vote Victory Now in Jeopardy as 65,000 Voters Ordered to Prove Eligibility or Be Removed from Count appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.