The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 7, 2025
In a brief to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, a bipartisan group of former county election directors urged the court to reject a claim that as many as 65,000 voters were ineligible last November. And a former state supreme court justice is arguing in another appeals case that gerrymandering by the state legislature is akin to ‘stuffing the ballot box.”
We’ve followed the claims from state supreme court candidate Jefferson Griffin that as many as 65,000 registered, eligible voters had incomplete registrations in a race he lost by 734 votes to incumbent justice Allison Riggs. The race is the only unresolved election in the country.
In late February, a bipartisan group of 42 former county election directors filed a brief outlining why the voters should be considered valid, and concluding: “The citizens of North Carolina who obeyed the laws and the direction of the elections administrators should not have their votes discarded.”
In another North Carolina case, former state supreme court justice Bob Orr is arguing in state appeals court that the legislature’s gerrymandered voting districts manipulate election outcomes. By ‘packing’ voters by party into a district, he argues, it violates the state constitution’s guarantee of free elections with a fair count. Orr told the Charlotte News & Observer, “If they can’t stuff the ballot box, how can they stuff the voter pool?”
We have more on both cases at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – Appeals Continue in 2024 NC Supreme Court Race Challenge
NC Newsline – NC Supreme Court rejects requests to have GOP Judge Griffin’s case skip appeals court
NC Newsline – (Commentary) Documenting the damage of Judge Jefferson Griffin’s Supreme Court election challenge
North Carolina Court of Appeals – Brief by Bipartisan Group of 42 Former County Election Directors
News & Observer – Bob Orr pushes NC courts to answer an essential question: Do we have a right to fair elections? | Opinion
Groups Taking Action:
Democracy North Carolina, ACLU NC, League of Women Voters NC
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
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