North Carolina Supreme Court Rules Most Votes in Contested Election Can Be Counted

The Epoch Times Header

The race is for a seat on the stateโ€™s top court.

The North Carolina Supreme Court has ordered the counting of tens of thousands of votes in a contested election for a judicial seat.

In a 4โ€“2 ruling handed down on April 11, the stateโ€™s highest court said election officials must count votes from people who have been registered since 2004 but have no driverโ€™s license numbers or last four digits of their Social Security numbers on record.

The majority said that a lower court wrongly decided earlier in April that the votes could not be tallied unless the people provided proof of eligibility before a deadline. The majority said that it was the North Carolina State Board of Elections that was at fault for not making sure the voters had presented the numbers.

โ€œThe Boardโ€™s inattention and failure to dutifully conform its conduct to the lawโ€™s requirements is deeply troubling. Nevertheless, our precedent on this issue is clear,โ€ the majority said. โ€œBecause the responsibility for the technical defects in the votersโ€™ registrations rests with the Board and not the voters, the wholesale voiding of ballots cast by individuals who subsequently proved their identity to the Board by complying with the voter identification law would undermine the principle that โ€™this is a government of the people, in which the will of the peopleโ€”the majorityโ€”legally expressed, must govern.’โ€

The majority said the situation would be different if there were evidence showing โ€œthat a significant number of the roughly 60,000 ballots in the first category were cast by individuals whose identity was not verified by voter identification or who were not otherwise qualified to vote.โ€

The decision concerns a 2024 election for a seat on the stateโ€™s top court. At last count, Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat, led challenger Jefferson Griffin, an appeals court judge, by 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast.

Riggs did not participate in the new ruling, which largely left intact two other portions of the appellate courtโ€™s ruling.

Justices declined to reverse a finding that military and overseas voters who did not provide photographic identification, or fill out identification exception forms, must provide one or the other for their ballots to count.

Byย Zachary Stieber

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Big Tech Liberals are Using AI to Censor Conservatives

The Federal Trade Commission is gathering information to expose how technology platforms have violated the law in censoring Americans.

Unveiled: Gynocratsโ€™ Brave and Stunning Strategy to Woo Back Male Voters

Thereโ€™s nothing โ€” nothing โ€” that drives Democrats more bananas than...

Ship of Fools

A rudderless ship drifts with currents. A freighter with no pilot is stuck at the dock. Rudderless and stuck are perfect ways to describe the Democrat party.

Wolves Wreak Havoc on Cattle Herds in California

Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking heavy toll on cattle in Nor. CA and Oregon, killing animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and pocketbooks.

Visiting Narnia with an Adultโ€™s Perspective

When you hear the word โ€œNarniaโ€ you might recollect a lion, a witch, and a wardrobe that takes kids into a magical land. Hmm . . . barely the gist of it.

News

Fedโ€™s Powell Says Interest Rate Decisions Will Be โ€˜Non-Politicalโ€™ in Meeting With Trump

Fed Res Chair Jerome Powell said decisions on interest rates would remain grounded in economic data and free from political influence.

FBI Director Says โ€˜Definitive Answerโ€™ Coming on Key Jan. 6 Question

FBI Dir Kash Patel said agency will attempt to produce answer on whether there were FBI agents or sources in crowd at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Tariffs Temporarily Reinstated by Appeals Court, Reversing Lower Court Order

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower-court ruling that struck down President Donald Trumpโ€™s tariffs on a wide range of countries.

DeSantis Signs Gold Money Legislation Into Law

Gov. DeSantis signed โ€œtransactional goldโ€ legislation to help Floridians use precious metals in commerce and savings, to protect purchasing power from inflation.

Judge Extends Block on Trump Adminโ€™s Bid to Bar Foreign Students at Harvard

Federal judge will maintain a temporary block she placed on DHS revocation ofย Harvardโ€™s certification program allowing it to enroll foreign students.

White House Says Trade Policy Not Affected by Court Ruling, Has Other Tariff Authorities

WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a federal court ruling blocking the adminโ€™s global tariffs has not impacted President Trumpโ€™s trade agenda.

16 States File Lawsuit Against National Science Foundation for Ending DEI Support

Sixteen states are suing the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the agencyโ€™s recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Overlooked Chemicals in Food May Threaten Your Health

Scientists are alarmed about threat to public health: synthetic chemicals from packaging and processing equipment contaminating the food supply.
spot_img

Related Articles