Griffin challenges 60,000 ballots as NC Supreme Court recount continues

Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is challenging 60,000 ballots cast in this month’s election. Griffin filed his challenge as county elections officials continue to recount votes in Griffin’s race against appointed incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs.

Riggs led Griffin by 625 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes counted at the end of the county canvass from the Nov. 5 election.

“As North Carolinians, we cherish our democratic process. Protecting election integrity is not just an option — it’s our duty,” Griffin said in a North Carolina Republican Party news release. “These protests are about one fundamental principle: ensuring every legal vote is counted.” 

Griffin’s protests “highlight specific irregularities and discrepancies in the handling and counting of ballots, raising concerns about adherence to established election laws,” according to the Republicans’ news release. “These challenges are part of a lawful and transparent process designed to uphold voter confidence in the system.”

The state Republican Party “fully supports” Griffin. “Every voter in North Carolina deserves confidence that our elections are conducted fairly and according to the law,” said NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons. “The integrity of the ballot box is the cornerstone of our democracy. Jefferson Griffin’s commitment to this process demonstrates his dedication to upholding the rule of law and protecting the voices of lawful voters.”

“This is about more than one election,” Griffin said. “It’s about preserving the integrity of elections for generations to come.”

Griffin “also pledged to follow it through to its rightful conclusion,” the Republican news release noted. Griffin, his team, and the NCGOP are “committed to working with election officials and legal experts to ensure fair resolution of these challenges.”

Final election-night totals showed Griffin leading by more than 10,000 votes. As counties counted provisional ballots and other votes not tallied on Nov. 5, Riggs overtook Griffin.

If Riggs wins, the state’s highest court will maintain its current roster of judges and its current 5-2 Republican majority. A Griffin win would shift the majority to a 6-1 Republican advantage. If Griffin loses, he still has four years remaining on his term as a member of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

“At the time of writing this letter, the vote margin between me and my opponent, Associate Justice Allison Riggs, stands at 623 votes. This margin is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast in this race,” Griffin wrote in a two-paragraph letter Tuesday seeking a statewide recount.

“Accordingly, pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 163-182.7(c)(2), I request that a recount be conducted for the North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice race under the supervision of the North Carolina State Board of Elections throughout all 100 North Carolina counties,” Griffin added.

Griffin and the North Carolina Republican Party had filed suit Monday and sought a temporary restraining order against the state elections board. The complaint alleged that the board had failed to turn over public records Griffin had requested as he considered whether to file election protests and seek a recount.

“As of this filing, there are four (4) significant requests relevant to the 2024 General Election that remain incomplete and outstanding from Defendant,” Republican lawyers wrote. “These requests relate to: (1) lists of conflict voters (i.e. those voters who are suspected to have voted both absentee and in-person); (2) those voters who utilized the curbside Election Day voting processes to complete their ballot; (3) full and complete lists of felony convictions, including full and complete replicas of datasets and guidance provided to each county board of elections related to felony convictions and treatment of votes cast by those convicted of a felony; and (4) full and complete lists of deceased persons, including full and complete replicas of datasets and guidance provided to each county board of elections related to deceased persons and treatment of votes cast by deceased persons.”

The elections board responded to Carolina Journal’s inquiry about the lawsuit Monday afternoon.

“The lawyers for this campaign demanded over the weekend that the requested records be produced by 7 a.m. today,” elections board spokesman Patrick Gannon wrote in an email Monday to Carolina Journal. “The law does not require that, but they filed a lawsuit this morning anyway. The State Board provided the requested records today. In fact, the lawyers for this campaign were informed this morning that the records would be provided today, but they served the agency with the lawsuit anyway. In sum, this lawsuit is thoroughly unnecessary.”

The post Griffin challenges 60,000 ballots as NC Supreme Court recount continues first appeared on Carolina Journal.