Two Republican judges on the NC Court of Appeals just brought defeated state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin one step closer to overturning his loss.
Two Republican judges on the NC Court of Appeals just brought defeated state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin one step closer to overturning his loss.
Here’s what you need to know:
In a 2-1 decision on party lines, the appeals court sided with Griffin’s controversial argument, which would change the state rules about whose votes are counted AFTER the election has already happened.
The result is about 60,000 North Carolina voters — as well as another 5,000 or so military and overseas voters — would have their votes tossed if the state can’t get additional information on them in the next 15 business days.
VIDEO: Why the Jefferson Griffin case is one big loss for Republicans even if they win
Another 267 overseas voters would have their votes summarily tossed out. Those voters have not resided in North Carolina but their parents were registered NC voters before they left the U.S. Previously, such voters have been considered legal voters by North Carolina, so this is a new interpretation of the state Constitution.
These voters are overwhelmingly Democratic voters handpicked by Griffin and Republicans in an attempt to make Griffin the winner despite multiple recounts and state canvassing that showed Democratic Justice Allison Riggs won.
Read More: Four of the Republican judges in the Jefferson Griffin case were his de facto running mates in a previous election
Griffin has not proven that a single one of these voters was an unregistered voter, a point noted by Court of Appeals Judge Toby Hampson in his dissent.
“The proposition that a significant portion of these 61,682 voters will receive notice and timely take curative measures is a fiction that does not disguise the act of mass disenfranchisement the majority’s decision represents,” Hampson wrote.
The Court of Appeals ruling will likely be appealed to the NC Supreme Court, which is also dominated by Griffin’s political party. Justice Allison Riggs, who won the election in November, might also look to federal courts to intervene.
To find out if you’re one of the voters who Republicans are trying to throw out, click here.
