North Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Majority of Ballots in Tight Judicial Race

The court's ruling maintains Democrat Allison Riggs' 734-vote lead but requires military and overseas voters to verify their identity within 30 days.

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that over 60,000 ballots challenged by Republican Jefferson Griffin must remain in the count, citing administrative errors by the State Board of Elections rather than voter fault.
A subset of ballots cast by military and overseas voters must be verified with photo ID or an exception form within 30 days, potentially impacting thousands of votes.
The ruling partially overturns a lower court decision favoring Griffin but leaves the election unresolved, with Riggs still leading by 734 votes out of over 5.5 million cast.
Justice Allison Riggs, who recused herself from the case, plans to challenge the ruling in federal court, arguing it selectively disenfranchises military and overseas voters.
Dissenting opinions from Democratic and Republican justices criticized the decision for undermining voter equality and retroactively altering election rules.