Sergio Guerra, Sports Editor/Photographer
February 20, 2025 – The last uncertified statewide election race from the November 2024 General Election is for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat. GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin lost to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs by 734 votes – a margin that has been verified twice through separate recounts. However, Griffin, who sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, is attempting to overturn the election result by challenging over 60,000 North Carolinian votes.
Jefferson Griffin’s challenge rests on the basis that three categories of voters should not be counted. These categories include overseas voters who failed to provide a copy of their photo IDs, voters who never previously resided in North Carolina, and voters whose information was allegedly incomplete. However, before the election, the state board ruled that photo identification was not required for overseas votes.
Griffin’s initial dispute was rejected after a ruling by the Wake County Superior Court on Feb. 7. The Republican candidate chose to appeal this ruling and take it to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Griffin currently holds a seat on the Court of Appeals but would not be involved in the decision as he has recused himself from the case.
Outrage over Griffin’s attempts to overturn November’s election has manifested in the form of protests across North Carolina. According to the Charlotte Observer, “Hundreds gathered in uptown Monday to protest Republican Jefferson Griffin’s challenges” and Charlotte’s NAACP President Corine Mack states that Griffin’s challenges are “an attempt to destroy our democracy.”
WRAL News reports that “Raleigh resident Jenna Marrocco voted early, in-person, and then learned after the election that her registration from 2016 might be missing some information. She’s one of the voters being challenged by Griffin.” Raleigh also saw hundreds gather to challenge Griffin’s attempts.
Allison Riggs and the North Carolina State Board of Elections have attempted to expedite the decision by filing a bypass petition – something that would allow the case to skip over the Court of Appeals and go straight to the North Carolina Supreme Court. A hearing in front of the state’s Supreme Court might have been more advantageous to Riggs, as the Wake County Superior Court’s ruling would have stood with a 3-3 deadlock in the Supreme Court. However, on Feb. 20, the state’s Supreme Court rejected the bid.
The failure of the bypass petition means that the dispute will need to be heard in front of the North Carolina Court of Appeals first – which has a Republican majority. If the Court of Appeals rules in favor of Griffin, a deadlock at the state’s Supreme Court would let the Court of Appeals ruling stand and could see him succeed in overturning his election loss.
Allison Riggs has spoken up about the situation at hand and stated on Feb. 12, “I remain committed to speaking up on behalf of the voters that Jefferson Griffin is seeking to disenfranchise.” In response to the protesters in Raleigh, the Republican party claimed that demonstrators “are protesting against following the law and counting the legal votes of North Carolina citizens.”
On the Supreme Court level, two justices have already decided that they will rule against Griffin’s attempts to overturn the election. This includes Democratic justice Anita Earls and Republican justice Richard Dietz. However, that leaves four other justices – all of whom are Republicans – who have not released their direction of support. However, they have allowed Griffin’s dispute to move forward.
After nearly three months, the final decision for North Carolina’s Supreme Court seat is still anyone’s guess. Even after decisions by the Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court, there is still an opportunity for federal involvement. Either way, voters in North Carolina are on edge. In a time where the political scene is shifting on a day-to-day basis, the last thing voters need is to believe that their votes do not matter.
References
Biba, J. (2025, February 17). In NC Supreme Court race, Griffin’s bid to toss ballots faces setback, intends to appeal. The Asheville Citizen Times. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2025/02/17/nc-supreme-court-race-griffins-bid-to-toss-ballots-faces-setback/78341555007/
Oehrli, R. (2025, February 17). Hundreds march in Charlotte to protest Griffin’s challenges to NC Supreme Court votes. The Charlotte Observer. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article300475679.html
Selzer, R. (2025, February 7). North Carolina judge rejects gop state supreme court candidate’s bid to throw out 60k ballots. Democracy Docket. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/north-carolina-judge-rejects-gop-state-supreme-court-candidates-bid-to-throw-out-60k-ballots/
Specht, P. (2025, February 17). Hundreds protest in downtown Raleigh over NC Supreme Court seat. WRAL.Com. https://www.wral.com/news/state/protest-downtown-raleigh-nc-supreme-court-seat-february-2025/
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