Six months and two days after North Carolinians went to the polls, the 2024 election is finally over. On Wednesday, Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin conceded, ending a lengthy court battle over the state Supreme Court seat he narrowly lost to Democratic Justice Allison Riggs.
The concession came two days after a Trump-appointed federal judge ordered the State Board of Elections to certify Riggs’ victory. Griffin was given a week to appeal the ruling, but opted to concede instead.
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In a statement, Griffin broke his six-month silence on the case, which involved a series of election protests calling for over 60,000 voters to be removed from the count. Challenged voters included those whose voter registrations were allegedly missing a driver’s license or Social Security number; overseas and military absentee voters who did not include a copy of their photo ID with their ballot; and so-called “Never Residents” who voted under inherited North Carolina residency through their parents or legal guardians.
Federal District Judge Richard E. Myers II rejected Griffin’s election protests not based on their substance, but their timing. He said that voters who followed the procedures known to them at the time they cast their ballots could not be removed later due to a change in rules or their interpretation.
Griffin said he respected the judge’s ruling while disagreeing with the analysis. He also commended the NC Supreme Court and NC Court of Appeals for previous rulings that affirmed the basis of his protests.
“The courts have affirmed that voter ID is required for all absentee ballots and that you must be a resident of North Carolina to vote in North Carolina elections,” Griffin said. “These holdings are very significant for securing our state’s elections.”
Future litigation on these issues will likely appear, but will not apply to the 2024 general election results.
In a statement, the North Carolina Republican Party said they also respect the court’s opinion but “remain concerned about the serious election integrity issues this litigation brought to light.”
If Griffin had appealed, the case may have ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court’s hands. But after being handed a partial loss by the majority-led Republican state Supreme Court and a Trump-appointed federal judge, Griffin may have reevaluated his chances of coming out on top.
“I hope we return to a time when those who lose elections concede defeat rather than trying to tear down the entire election system and erode voter confidence,” said Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the State Board of Elections.
It’s unclear whether Griffin’s court losses and eventual concession will discourage future losing candidates from using similar arguments to try and flip their races after the fact.
In a statement, Riggs said that she’s glad the will of the voters was finally heard.
“It’s been my honor to lead this fight — even though it should never have happened — and I’m in awe of the North Carolinians whose courage reminds us all that we can use our voices to hold accountable any politician who seeks to take power out of the hands of the people,” she said.
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