Recent changes in North Carolina's State Board of Elections highlight deep political divisions and raise concerns about election integrity as a pivotal Supreme Court race unfolds.
Republicans Seize Control of NC Elections Board as Supreme Court Race Heats Up
Republicans Seize Control of NC Elections Board as Supreme Court Race Heats Up
The GOP's takeover could shift the landscape of the ongoing North Carolina Supreme Court election.
In a striking shift in North Carolina's political landscape, Republicans have assumed control of the State Board of Elections, a maneuver that may significantly affect the outcome of a tightly contested state Supreme Court election. This transformation follows a recent ruling from the North Carolina Court of Appeals that has allowed a highly debated law to take effect while its appeal is still in process. The law, enacted by the Republican-led legislature, reallocates the power to appoint members of the elections board from the Democratic governor to the Republican state auditor.
On Thursday, State Auditor Dave Boliek utilized this newfound authority to appoint three Republicans and two Democrats to the five-member board, effectively establishing a Republican majority. This shakeup occurs against the backdrop of ongoing legal disputes surrounding the 2024 state Supreme Court election between Democrat Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin. Currently, Riggs leads by 734 votes, but Griffin has initiated challenges against the validity of over 60,000 absentee ballots, predominantly from areas known to favor Democrats.
The newly formed Republican-majority board could potentially lend credence to Griffin’s campaign to contest the election results, a position previously thwarted by the Democratic-controlled board. Democrats have decried the law as a blatant partisan maneuver, while Republicans assert it promotes equitable oversight of electoral processes.
As the state Supreme Court deliberates over Governor Josh Stein's petition to block the law, a federal judge has mandated the certification of Riggs as the election winner, citing that retroactively altering election rules contradicts constitutional tenets. However, the judge has deferred this certification for seven days to accommodate an appeal.
As this legal saga unfolds, the evolving composition of the elections board underscores the intense stakes and profound partisan rifts that continue to characterize election management in North Carolina.
