It’s so insane, it might as well be a whole season in a political drama. But it’s actually just state politics.
In the aftermath of the Nov. 5 election last year, a Republican NC Supreme Court Justice candidate has been actively trying to flip the seat, going as far as trying to throw out more than 60,000 votes in the process.
We’re talking here about Jefferson Griffin, a current NC Court of Appeals judge, who narrowly lost in the election to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs. The count was so narrow — just 734 votes — that Griffin immediately petitioned for a recount, which is normal in races this tight. What’s not normal is what has followed the two recounts, which found that Riggs won, fair and square.
Rather than conceding, Griffin has drawn out this process more than two months later by now taking the issue to the courts to challenge more than 60,000 votes in an attempt to get them thrown out.
He and his lawyer’s argument is that some of votes included in the mix had missing driver’s license numbers or Social Security numbers. Griffin is also targeting about 5,500 overseas voters, many of them military absentee voters, to be thrown out despite the fact that this is exactly the method he used in 2019 and 2020.
At one point, NC voter registration forms didn’t require this information. Also you’ll remember, that in this last election, voter ID was required, which made it so that all voters had to show some form of identification to cast their vote.
That’s why many judges, including a Trump-appointed federal judge, have even seen Griffin’s attempts at nullifying the votes as unfounded and dismissed his claims. Since then, Griffin has appealed to various courts including the US Court of Appeals, which heard arguments on Monday and the Wake County Superior Court, which has scheduled oral arguments for Feb. 7.
Some Republican groups, including one led in part by former NC Governor Pat McCrory are even sounding the alarm, calling out Griffin’s behavior as “an attack on our elections.”
Reporting by ProPublica and other news outlets have found that a majority of the voters targeted in Griffin’s campaign are disproportionately Black, Democratic and young.
And here’s where you come in. Because many of the challenged votes targeted Democratic counties, there’s a chance that you or someone you know is on the list.
Find out if your vote has been challenged by going to thegriffinlist.com and searching your name. And if you find your name, advocates are encouraging voters to reach out to their local county Board of Elections and to spread the word.
Don’t let Griffin get away with this nonsense. It’s up to all of us.
Join the First Amendment Society, a membership that goes directly to funding TCB‘s newsroom.
We believe that reporting can save the world.
The TCB First Amendment Society recognizes the vital role of a free, unfettered press with a bundling of local experiences designed to build community, and unique engagements with our newsroom that will help you understand, and shape, local journalism’s critical role in uplifting the people in our cities.
All revenue goes directly into the newsroom as reporters’ salaries and freelance commissions.
