Allison Riggs, left, and Jefferson Griffin, right, are running for a seat on the NC Supreme Court. Here's why it's the most important election in North Carolina. (Photos via Riggs, Griffin campaigns)
Following multiple recounts, Justice Riggs leads Griffin by 734 votes. Despite the repeated verifications of Riggs’ win, Judge Griffin is still pushing for the votes of tens of thousands of North Carolinians to be discarded.
It has been 59 days since Election Day, and despite multiple recounts and verifications of Justice Allison Riggs’ victory in the North Carolina Supreme Court race, her opponent, Republican nominee Jefferson Griffin, has yet to concede despite Riggs maintaining a 734 vote lead.
Griffin has attempted to toss out 60,000 votes in the race, arguing that they didn’t properly complete their voter registration form, and on December 18th, asked the state Supreme Court, with a 5-2 Republican majority, to invalidate the votes. In response, the Board of Elections filed its own suit to move the case to federal court.
On December 23, Griffin filed a suit in the Eastern District of North Carolina calling for an injunction to prevent the North Carolina Board of Elections from certifying Riggs victory.
On January 1, Riggs, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBOE), and voting rights groups, filed briefs in federal court in the case of Griffin v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, seeking to end Griffin’s attempts to drag the process out.
“Judge Griffin cannot show that he is likely to succeed in throwing out tens of thousands of votes cast by his fellow North Carolinians in compliance with official guidance. And the public interest does not favor runner-up candidates who seek to undo the will of the voters,” the filing from Riggs’ legal team read.
Joining Riggs in filing briefs were former members of Congress, including Tom Daschle and Richard Gephardt, who helped pass the Help America Vote Act of 2002. They argue Griffin’s attempt to invalidate upwards of 60,000 votes violates that act, and thus needs to be addressed in federal court.
“…any ruling on whether the 60,000 voters in question are entitled to vote in state elections will also dictate whether they can vote in federal elections, and vice versa,” they said.
Without an injunction, the NCSBOE can certify Riggs victory on January 9th.
Author
A powerful NC lawmaker spread misinformation about elections. Here’s what NC’s top election official has to say about it.
Every word of NC election chief Karen Brinson Bell's rebuttal of misinformation spread by NC Senate President Phil Berger. This week, one of North...
OPINION: Tight NC Supreme Court race proves again that every single vote matters
The election of a crucial seat on North Carolina’s highest court, which could have outsized power over abortion rights and democracy, looks like it...
Op-Ed: How do we find candidates who represent the working class? This election shows that those who lead us should be the same people who make our society go.
This column is syndicated by Beacon Media. I grew up tagging along behind my dad at construction sites. He would find a hard hat for me to wear, and...
Democrat Allison Riggs moves closer to victory in NC Supreme Court race
A recount has been ordered, but the 625-vote margin is likely too big for Republican Jefferson Griffin to make up. At the official end of the...
