NC State Supreme Court Voter Challenge

OVERVIEW

In 2024, North Carolina voters elected Justice Allison Riggs to her seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court by 734 votes. The vote total was confirmed by multiple recounts and secure election audits. Her opponent, Jefferson Griffin sued to try to invalidate the votes of over 65,000 voters in order to change the election rules in his favor.

A lot has happened since November. Read on below for the latest updates.

Are you, a family member, or a neighbor, a military or overseas voter or a “never resident”? TEXT or CALL the voter assistance hotline 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683) to speak with an election expert who can help.

THE LATEST

APRIL 23, 2025 – UPDATE

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has placed a hold on the NC State Board of Elections process to notify military and overseas voters and “never residents” about how to make their vote count for the NC Supreme Court Seat 6 contest. At this time, the over 1,600 impacted voters identified by the NCSBE are not legally required to take additional steps to either provide voter photo ID (or an ID exception form) or a residency affidavit.

This is meaningful progress toward stopping Jefferson Griffin’s baseless attack on voters who followed the rules and did nothing wrong.

Our partner, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, analyzed publicly available data that shows 25% (65 out of 260) of the challenged “never resident” voters have previously lived in North Carolina. It is possible that the NCSBE can identify even more voters using confidential voter data.

What’s Next?

• Federal Court Level: The district court must first make a decision on Justice Riggs’ request to stop the requirement that impacted voters must take additional steps to have their vote count and to review the federal constitutional issues that show the impacted voters are protected. This process will extend until the beginning of May.
• State Court Level: Jefferson Griffin has requested the NC Court of Appeals to expand the military and overseas voters he is challenging beyond Guilford to also include Durham, Forsyth, Buncombe, Cumberland, and New Hanover. He also asked the court to expand his “never residents” challenge from 53 counties to 100 counties. In total, Griffin wants to disenfranchise about 5,700 voters. The NC Court of Appeals has not taken action on Griffin’s request yet.

Are you, a family member, or a neighbor, a military or overseas voter or a “never resident”? TEXT or CALL the voter assistance hotline 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683) to speak with an election expert who can help.

FAQ

How do I get off the list?

Voters who were previously challenged under the category “incomplete voter registration” will have their vote counted, as the NC Supreme Court ordered that these voters should not have their votes discounted due to an administrative error. If you are one of these voters, we recommend that you call your County Board of Elections to confirm that your voter registration is up to date.

For all other affected voters, there isn’t much you can do to remove yourself from the list until the litigation is resolved.

How can a vote count in one race and not in another?

Jefferson Griffin’s voter challenge only targets the NC Supreme Court Seat 6 contest; no other election contests from the 2024 General Election are impacted. In December 2025, the State Board of Elections certified all votes cast except for votes in the NC Supreme Court race. Certification means results are a complete and accurate record of all votes cast in the election, protecting these votes from post-election legal challenges.

Are voters taking any legal action against the court-order process?

Yes, three lawsuits have been filed to protect military and overseas voters: Conley v. Hirsh, North Carolina Democratic Party v. NC State Board of Elections, and NC Alliance for Retired Americans v. Griffin. These cases have been combined. You can read more about them here.

How was Griffin’s list created?

Jefferson Griffin is challenging voters for three reasons: (1) “incomplete voter registration,” (2) military and overseas voters who did not provide voter photo ID, and (3) “never residents.” For voters in the “incomplete voter registration” and “never residents” categories, the NC Republican Party hired Ryan Bonifay to review and compile publicly available data from the State Board of Elections. For military and overseas voters, Griffin’s attorneys submitted a public records request to the County Board of Elections asking for a list of military and overseas voters who did not provide voter photo ID or an ID Exception Form.

For voters challenged because of “incomplete voter registration,” the State Board of Elections found over half—31,167 voters—did provide a NC DMV ID number or Social Security number. For the remaining voters, there are fact-specific reasons why these ID numbers are not in their registration records, but they have still satisfied the legal requirements for registration. For example, registering with a HAVA ID (i.e., a specific proof of residency document) and voters who registered before records were digitized. Additionally, an analysis by Southern Coalition for Social Justice shows that 25% (65 out of 260) of the challenged “never resident” voters have previously lived in North Carolina, thereby establishing their residency. By state and federal law, military and overseas voters were not legally required to provide voter photo ID in the 2024 General Election.