GOP Effort to Toss Thousands of North Carolina Ballots Raises Alarms
A Republican effort to challenge the outcome of a closely watched North Carolina Supreme Court election is raising alarms among election officials and legal experts. The GOP is seeking to toss thousands of ballots, including those of voters affected by Hurricane Helene, citing clerical errors and incomplete registrations.
The effort, led by Judge Jefferson Griffin, who lost to Democratic Justice Allison Riggs, targets 60,000 voters with “incomplete” registrations who cast absentee or early-in-person ballots. The GOP is also challenging 5,509 overseas ballots and using arguments that were previously rejected by courts in pre-election court battles.
Critics argue that the GOP’s approach is “undemocratic” and “radical,” as it sets a new standard for throwing out elections based on technicalities that are no fault of the voters. David Becker, a former DOJ attorney and election law expert, said that the GOP’s lawsuit “goes beyond almost any lawsuit that I’ve seen before in challenging an election.”
One of the voters caught in the middle is Jen Baddour, who volunteered as a poll greeter during the election. She told CNN that she had always provided the required identification information, but due to an error by election officials, her registration form did not require the identification numbers until 2023. Baddour said that she would have easily provided the information if asked.
The voters caught in the middle include people who have voted and lived in the state for decades, who have served in elected office themselves, and who overcame the destruction of Hurricane Helene to exercise their franchise. Republicans are even challenging the ballots cast by Riggs’ parents.
The North Carolina Supreme Court has paused certification of Riggs’ win, and the case is now being sent down to lower state courts to consider first. The court’s decision has been met with criticism from Democratic Justice Anita Earls, who warned that the court’s actions may have opened a “Pandora’s box” and allowed losing candidates to prevent duly elected officials from taking office for months or longer.
The case is likely to drag on for months, with the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals set to hear arguments next Monday on whether the dispute belongs in a federal forum.