Jefferson Griffin conceded the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race against Allison Riggs after pursuing a legal case that aimed to nullify over 60,000 votes, including 541 votes from Watauga County.
A nullified vote is not legally recognized and is not counted when a race is being called. Votes are nullified by boards of elections or courts when there is evidence against their legality, such as a falsified address or an incorrectly filled out ballot.
Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers ruled on May 5 that the North Carolina State Board of Elections should begin certifying the race and should not nullify the votes that Griffin had challenged.
Myers’ ruling gave Griffin a seven day period to appeal, but Griffin chose to concede, officially ending the six-month period of delays in certifying the race.
Matthew Snyder, the Watauga County Board of Elections director, wrote in an email that the next step for the board is to await instructions from the NCSBE.
According to Griffin’s original petition to the NCSBE, over 60,000 votes were unlawful because the voters had incomplete registrations.
“Since 2004, the General Assembly has required someone registering to vote to provide his drivers license or last four digits of his social security number on his voter registration application,” Griffin’s petition read.
According to NCSBE, individuals are still allowed to vote without this information on their record if they show a valid form of ID.
Even though Griffin conceded the race, the legal challenges have left some voters unsure about the security of their vote in the future.
Layla Bouis is a junior music education major whose vote was among those challenged. She said this situation made her unsure about future elections, because individuals or political parties might try to challenge the outcome at any time.
“I made sure that my voting registration is up to date with my last four of my social security and driver’s license number so something like this can never happen again to me,” Bouis said. “Hopefully this motivated others to do the same.”
Snyder wrote in an email that for voters to ensure their records are complete, they should take their time when filling out voter registration forms to ensure their handwriting is legible and complete every field on those forms, even if they aren’t marked as mandatory.
Voters can use the State Board’s voter search tool to check if their voter registration information is accurate and up-to-date. Individuals with inaccurate information should contact the county board of elections that aligns with their current registration.
Despite the uncertainty that Griffin’s legal challenges have caused in some voters, Bouis said she believes it has never been more important for people to vote.
“This situation makes it abundantly clear how important it is to get out there and vote for what you think is right,” Bouis said. “Our votes and our voices matter, otherwise they wouldn’t have tried to take those things away from us.”
