Disgraced Jefferson Griffin, North Carolina GOP Face Backlash For Shameful Attacks on North Carolinians’ Vote Arrow

Last Friday, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that more than 65,000 eligible voters who cast ballots in North Carolina's Supreme Court race last year now face their ballots being thrown out. The ballots of lawful voters are under attack because failed state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin and North Carolina Republicans are trying to overturn a free and fair election.

As Republicans continue their attack on democracy, the backlash has been swift, with widespread condemnation coming down at the local and national levels.

Take a look at the response below:

Charlotte Observer: NC Supreme Court race ruling is a dangerous attack on voters who followed the rules | Opinion

[Charlotte Observer Editorial Board, 4/4/25]

"If the state Supreme Court upholds the appeals court's ruling, it will be a new extreme in judicial partisanship and a national embarrassment for North Carolina.

"The ruling also places an extraordinary burden on voters who must now defend their legitimacy despite the fact that they did nothing wrong. …

"It's worth noting that Griffin has not been able to prove that any of the voters he is challenging were actually ineligible to vote. Yet he - and the court - are fervent in their assertion that those votes may well be illegal. …

"Even more ridiculous is the fact that the new standard is not being evenly applied - the votes Griffin chose to challenge disproportionately belong to demographics or counties that lean Democratic. Only these specific ballots, in this specific race, are at risk of being thrown out. It undermines the public's faith in our elections and in the judges that are apparently willing to overturn them.

"Friday's ruling sends the unwelcome message that the right to vote in North Carolina may be more fragile than ever. Even if you follow the rules, that right can still be taken away from you months later by judges who believe themselves more bound to partisanship than to the law. It's a shame for democracy, and a shame for North Carolina."

NC Newsline: Latest ruling in Riggs-Griffin election dispute is an assault on democracy

[Rob Schofield, 4/7/25]

"The ruling is a stunning assault on democracy. As Judge Tobias Hampson wrote in a long and scathing dissent, quote 'changing the rules by which these lawful voters took part in our electoral process after the election to discard their otherwise valid votes - in an attempt to alter the outcome of only one race among many on the ballot - is directly counter to law, equity, and the Constitution.'

"The bottom line: Hampson is right. The voters have spoken in the Riggs-Griffin contest, and this rogue ruling cannot be allowed to stand."

Slate: Things Are Getting Dire in That State Judicial Race the GOP Is Trying to Steal

[Billy Corriher, 4/4/25]

"In a cowardly unsigned opinion on Friday, two judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled in favor of one of their colleagues, Judge Jefferson Griffin, in his quest to overturn an election that he narrowly lost in November. …

"The circuit court has put a stop to voter suppression in North Carolina before. It should do it again. North Carolina's appellate courts are controlled by partisan hacks who will do whatever it takes to maintain Republican power. The federal courts can't let them get away with this."

The Carolina Journal: Echoes of Gore's Florida recount in Griffin's attempt to toss ballots

[Benjamin L. Ginsberg, 3/31/25]

"As a Republican election lawyer for 40 years, I'm for Republicans winning judicial elections. But not like this. Not when Griffin has not identified any fraudulent voters or ballots not cast in compliance with official election guidance. And not when Griffin has to ask his fellow judges to abandon principle to achieve his own electoral success. He lost a heartbreakingly close race. It happens. But it is wrong to disqualify voters who may have voted against you because of administrators' perceived errors.

"As in Florida 2000, it is fair game to adjudicate State Board of Elections' procedures or overseas voters' eligibility before the election. But Griffin did not succeed in his preelection attempts. So his lack of electoral success makes his post-election challenges nothing more than distasteful sour grapes aimed at disenfranchising voters in areas won by his opponent. …

"It should be embarrassing for Judge Jefferson Griffin to make - and ask his fellow judges to buy - his arguments to disenfranchise legal voters, especially members of our military. Ambitious candidates may not always stick to principles, but judges must."

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