North Carolina Supreme Court Orders Most Challenged Ballots Counted in Tight Judicial Race

The court upheld the inclusion of over 60,000 ballots, faulting election officials for registration errors, while imposing a 30-day voter verification period for certain military and overseas ballots.

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that more than 60,000 ballots challenged due to missing registration details must remain in the count, citing errors by election officials rather than voters.
Thousands of military and overseas voters must verify their eligibility within 30 days by providing photo ID or risk having their ballots excluded.
The ruling partially overturns a prior Court of Appeals decision favoring Republican Jefferson Griffin, who trails Democrat Allison Riggs by 734 votes in the still-undecided race.
Justice Anita Earls dissented, arguing that the decision selectively disenfranchises voters in Democratic-leaning counties and undermines electoral fairness.
Riggs plans to appeal in federal court to challenge the disenfranchisement of military and overseas voters and defend the election results.