The North Carolina Supreme Court rejected an effort from Republican Jefferson Griffin to expedite his appeal to toss out more than 60,000 ballots in a hotly contested judicial race.
The state’s high court ruled that Griffin must have his appeal through Wake County Superior Court before it can be considered by the state Supreme Court. The high court continued the stay, halting the state board of elections from certifying the race pending the superior court’s decision, and called on the lower court to “proceed expeditiously.”
The race between Griffin and incumbent Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs was the closest statewide race in North Carolina, with the most recent recount showing Riggs, the Democrat, with a 734-vote lead over Griffin, the Republican. Riggs has recused herself from the high court’s deliberation on the election challenge.
Griffin has argued that the more than 60,000 votes he seeks to be thrown out were cast by people who did not have a driver’s license number or Social Security number on their file or were people who voted overseas but did not provide photo identification. His effort to have the ballots tossed was rejected by the state board of elections, a decision he is currently appealing.
Riggs slammed the court’s decision allowing the election to continue to be contested but vowed to keep fighting.
“While I agree with the North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision yesterday to dismiss Judge Griffin’s inappropriate request for a writ of prohibition, I am disappointed that the door has been opened to dragging this out for so long,” Riggs said in a statement on Thursday.
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“Voters elected me to continue serving on the North Carolina Supreme Court 79 days ago, and my election is the last uncertified race in the country. I will continue to make sure that the more than 65,000 voters who Griffin seeks to disenfranchise have their voices heard. No matter how long it takes, I will not stop doing what is right,” she added.
The losing party in the case, when it is either decided or rejected by the Wake County Superior Court, would be able to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.