More than 60,000 North Carolina ballots challenged

"If everyone is questioning their vote, they're not going to vote anymore because they're going to say, 'What's the point?"'

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) –A  federal appeals panel heard arguments Monday on a still-unresolved North Carolina Supreme Court race between  Republican Jefferson Griffin and Democrat Allison Riggs .

Griffin is challenging more than 60,000 votes from the November election.

The hearing came days after the state Supreme Court dismissed Griffin’s request to issue an expedited ruling. Still, a temporary Stay the court issued on January 7 prevented the State Board of Elections from formally certifying Riggs as the election winner.

Thousands of those challenged ballots are from voters in the Cape Fear.

“I showed my ID when I checked in. They checked it. The address match. They told me everything was good to go. So, why should my vote be pulled out,” asked New Hanover County voter Karen Ipock Hodgin.

Hodgin said she was surprised to see her name on the list.

“I’ve been voting since I was 18, and no one has ever questioned my vote before,” Hodgin said.

Hodgin found out she is one of thousands of voters in North Carolina whose ballots are being questioned by Griffin.

“A friend of mine posted access to the list on Facebook, and that’s how I found out. I was just curious, and there my name was,” Hodgin said.

In the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race, Riggs is leading Griffin by 734 votes. Griffin is asking the state’s highest court to throw out more than 60,000 ballots in a filing, alleging the ballots should not be counted for various reasons, including claims that certain votes were from people who weren’t properly registered to vote.

“It’s corrupt, it’s dishonest, it’s being a sore loser. He lost the race multiple times,” said Chair of the Brunswick County Democratic Party Shelly Allen said.

Allen said Griffin is challenging mail-in ballots and overseas ballots.

“He’s cherry-picking his voters, and that’s not how Democracy is supposed to work,” Allen said.

Now, Allen and other Democratic parties are sending this list created by an Apex council member to North Carolinians, which shows if your ballot is one Griffin is seeking to disqualify. It’s a list Hodgin is still wondering how she got on.

“If everyone is questioning their vote, they’re not going to vote anymore because they’re going to say, ‘What’s the point?”‘ Hodgin said.

The State’s Supreme Court currently has five Republicans and two Democrats, including Riggs, who has recused herself from the court’s ruling on the issue.

We reached out to the Republican party for comment, but they haven’t gotten back to us yet. To see if you’re on the list, click here.