A recent ruling by a North Carolina appeals court has mandated that over 60,000 voters who participated in the November 2024 state Supreme Court election must verify their eligibility. This decision follows a challenge by Republican candidate Judge Jefferson Griffin, who contested the narrow 734-vote victory of Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs.
Griffin’s challenge centers on claims that approximately 65,000 ballots were cast by individuals who either failed to provide the required proof of identity—such as the last four digits of a Social Security number or a driver’s license number—or were otherwise ineligible to vote. The court’s 2-1 decision, with Judges John Tyson and Fred Gore in the majority, instructs election officials to give these voters 15 business days to provide the necessary identification to validate their votes. Ballots from voters who do not respond within this period will be discarded.
In his dissent, Judge Toby Hampson expressed concern that the ruling could lead to the disenfranchisement of lawful voters who followed the rules in place at the time of the election. Justice Riggs has announced plans to appeal the decision, emphasizing the potential impact on voters’ rights and the integrity of the electoral process.
This appeals court ruling has sparked significant debate, with critics arguing that it undermines democratic principles by potentially disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters after the election has concluded. Supporters contend that it upholds the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only eligible votes are counted.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September, leaving large portions of North Carolina, a key battleground state, in devastation. Lawmakers adjusted voting laws to ensure that those impacted by the hurricane were able to exercise their constitutional right to vote with one early voting location being opened per 30,000 people.
On October 17th, North Carolina set a record in early voting numbers with over 350,000 ballots cast. Since then, 3.5 million votes have been counted, accounting for nearly 36% of registered voters in the state.
At the same time in 2016, North Carolina reported 1.6 million early votes, whereas in 2020, 3.5 million early votes were counted. The discrepancy is widely attributed to COVID-19.
The North Carolina Board of Elections (NCSBE) reported that despite 13 counties within the state being deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene, early voting numbers are indicating a “tremendous turnout.”
This data underscores the potential impact of early voting in regions recovering from natural disasters, highlighting the resilience of voters in counties impacted by Hurricane Helene.
