Information for Voters Challenged in Election Protest

[Note: This statement was updated on Feb. 17, 2025.]

The State Board of Elections is providing the following information in response to messages from voters whose ballots have been challenged in an election protest concerning the state supreme court justice contest. To see the full list of voters challenged in each type of protest, see "Griffin_Challenged_Voters.xlsx"

A candidate for N.C. Supreme Court, Jefferson Griffin, has challenged the results of the November 2024 general election and has alleged that some voters were not eligible to vote in his contest.

If you received a notice from the North Carolina Republican Party stating, “your vote may be affected by one or more protests filed in relation to the 2024 general election,” it means that Mr. Griffin has alleged that your ballot is ineligible. Some voters have stated that they became aware in other ways that their name appears on the list of voters challenged by Mr. Griffin.

The State Board and county boards of elections have considered these challenges and have dismissed them in two decisions (Decision 1 (PDF), Decision 2 (PDF). Mr. Griffin has appealed those decisions to the courts. There are currently cases regarding these challenges in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The State Board cannot predict what will occur in the courts with these challenges.

Most of the voters challenged allegedly do not have a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number listed in their electronic voter registration record. There are various reasons why this may be the case. Many voters supply such a number when they register, and their county board of elections then attempts to validate that number with the DMV or the Social Security Administration. But because this effort involves attempting to match information in different government databases — using records created at different times in people’s lives — there are often mismatches in the data. When that occurs, the number is removed from the voter registration record because it failed to validate, and the voter is asked to provide an alternative form of identification when they vote for the first time.

Voters who have been challenged, like all registered voters in North Carolina, are welcome to contact their county board of elections with questions about their registration record, including how to update their information.

If voters would like to get in touch with the parties in this proceeding, the email address for the candidate bringing the challenges is info@jeffersongriffin.com. The email address for the candidate opposing the challenges is team@riggsforourcourts.com.