Overview

• The North Carolina Court of Appeals stayed a lower court ruling, allowing a December law transferring election board appointment powers from the governor to the state auditor to take effect.
• Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek appointed three GOP members to the State Board of Elections, creating a Republican majority for the first time in decades.
• The partisan shift in the board’s makeup has implications for the unresolved state Supreme Court race, where Republican Jefferson Griffin is challenging the results favoring Democrat Allison Riggs by 734 votes.
• Gov. Josh Stein has appealed the appellate court's decision to the state Supreme Court, arguing it threatens democracy and could lead to partisan interference in the election process.
• Voting rights advocates have raised concerns about the new appointees' history of anti-voter positions, warning of potential risks to fair election administration in the battleground state.