‘Power grab’: Politicians, voters react to NC appeals court ruling in Griffin case
A North Carolina appeals court’s decision to side with the trailing Republican candidate — and potentially toss out thousands of ballots in a tight N.C. Supreme Court race — has sparked swift outcry.
Within minutes of the court’s decision to further review Jefferson Griffin’s narrow loss to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs for the seat, Gov. Josh Stein shared his disapproval on X.
“Changing the rules after the election to throw out the votes of tens of thousands of North Carolinians who followed all of the rules is a travesty,” he wrote in the April 5 post.
Jefferson Griffin’s never-ending legal assault is undermining people’s faith in elections and the courts. He lost and should concede.”
On Friday, a panel of judges in a 2-1 decision ruled in favor of Griffin, a North Carolina appeals judge who is contesting his narrow loss by challenging over 65,000 ballots. The court is now giving affected voters 15 days to prove their eligibility or have their votes discarded.
Nearly five months after the 2024 elections, the ruling could flip the race.
Other Democrats and constituents from across the state condemned the ruling.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams posted on X. “Let’s be very clear; this is what a political temper tantrum looks like when they don’t get their way. @AllisonJRiggs won fair and square.”
Former Raleigh Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin declared on X: “This is not democracy. She won. Get over it and do the right thing.”
Others took the streets to express their disgust.
On Saturday, thousands of anti-Trump protesters gathered across the state and Triangle on Saturday. Many singled out Griffin’s challenge for censure.
In Raleigh, some waved signs saying: “Protect our votes,” referencing the case.
“It’s outrageous,” said Lindsay Knapp, 42, an army veteran from Sanford, who was among them.
She pointed out that Griffin’s challenge involves military and overseas voters who did not provide an ID, even though a specific exemption to the rule was approved for those voters.
“The military is the one that fought for these fair and free elections, right? We literally put our blood, sweat and tears on the line so these elections could be held fairly,” she said. “For him to turn around and say: ‘You know what? Your vote doesn’t count.’ It’s a spit in our face.”
Marlee Bourey, a teacher from Dunn in Harnett County, also attended the rally. She called Griffin’s case “a power grab.”
“It feels like somebody unwilling to accept the results of a fair and honest election.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 1:35 PM.
