If the unprecedented ruling by the two GOP judges stands, it would invite chaos in North Carolina’s elections and could disenfranchise tens of thousands of lawful voters, including members of the military

RALEIGH – A pair of Republican judges on the NC Court of Appeals today issued a deeply troubling ruling in favor of losing Republican NC Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin, who seeks to throw out the lawful ballots of some 66,000 North Carolinians from the 2024 election. The decision is likely to be appealed.

In a 2-1 decision, Republican Judges Fred Gore and John Tyson sided with Griffin. Judge Toby Hampson, a Democrat, dissented.

The following is a statement from Bob Phillips, Executive Director of the nonpartisan voting rights organization Common Cause North Carolina:

“Today’s ruling is a disgrace. This poorly conceived decision is an extreme overreach and sides with a sore loser candidate over the citizens of our state. If allowed to stand, the ruling would inject chaos into North Carolina’s elections in ways that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of lawful voters and invite similar challenges nationwide.

Let’s be clear: these North Carolina voters did absolutely nothing wrong. They followed the rules and cast ballots that should count. To say otherwise now is an affront to the rule of law and our Constitution.

If Griffin gets his way, never again will the people of North Carolina be able to have confidence in the outcome of our elections. Instead, Griffin’s reckless lawsuit will open the door to an endless stream of other sore loser candidates who will attempt to throw out enough votes until they can cheat their way into office.

This fight is not over. We are confident that the courts will ultimately see Griffin’s ploy for what it is: an unconstitutional attack on our freedom to vote.

The people of North Carolina will continue to protest against Griffin’s outrageous attack on our rights as we continue our work to protect our family members, friends, and neighbors who are targeted by Griffin’s disgraceful scheme.”

Common Cause NC is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process. Online: CommonCauseNC.org