.png)
the real steal
The Latest:
April 22, 2025 -- Federal Court issues a stay in ballot curing.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a stay of the “cure” process for the overseas voters until the litigation has finished its process.Importantly, this ruling was made by 2 Republican and 1 Democratic judge. The Republican judge who dissents was clear that his dissent was about a procedural issue, not the underlying claims.
-
Justice Allison Riggs won the NC State Supreme Court election by 734 votes.
-
Her win was confirmed by 2 recounts.
-
Now her opponent is trying to steal the election. Her opponent, Jefferson Griffin, and the Republican party are trying to throw out 68,000 legal votes to try to steal this election.
WE WON'T LET THEM.
TL;DR:
How to help
Keep this pressure on. Frustrated that the right owns the internet? Us too. We're fighting back. ConnectForward has started an NC Creator fund to help keep North Carolina informed.
.png)
Donate to Justice Riggs' legal defense fund. This case is going to be $$$. Let's help pay for it.
Sign up to help if (or when) the time comes. There's no volunteer action right now, but there might be in the future.
Share this form, far and wide! The NCDP is asking for any overseas voters on the challenge list to please fill out this form so they can stay in touch with you for next steps.
Do you know someone on the list? This is a great, searchable list of all of the challenged voters. Many voters don't know their vote is being challenged. Check the list and get your people.
We'll send out an email when big things happen. Sign up to get updates when we have them.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIVE IN NC
Today it's NC, tomorrow it's you.
If the Republicans win this challenge, they'll use this plan across the country. That means voters will go to the ballot box being unsure if their vote will actually be counted.
That's un-American, un-democratic, and just plain bullshit.
Answers to (some) questions
What should i do if my vote is being challenged?
Fill out THIS FORM from the NCDP: This will allow them to easily contact and communicate as actions are needed.
Why aren't we "fixing" the regisrations right now?
We must do it right - and that's going to take a minute to figure out. We have to make sure that the "fixed" registration can connect back to the voter's Nov 2024 vote. What does that mean? Well, some voters have moved, died, changed their names, etc... since they cast their ballot. We need to make sure there is a system to connect these "amended" registrations back to their 2024 votes. We will do the work to find folks and help them "fix" their ballots. We just have to build the right plan to do it.
But what about these votes in other Nov 2024 elections?
Yeah - there is no good answer here. Normal human logic says that if a vote is invalid for one race, it is invalid in all the other races, too. But, Jefferson Griffin is basically saying "well, those candidates didn't challenge those races so whatevs about those races." Yes, this is ridiculous.
Why are these votes being challenged?
Paperwork. There are three main challenges:
1) Registration is either missing social security or driver's license numbers or the numbers were mis-entered. The NC Board of Elections hasn't always required a SSN or DL # on voter registration forms. It's also very possible there was a typo when info on written form got typed into the database. Griffin says missing or incorrect numbers make the registration (and therefore the vote) invalid.
2) UOCAVA voters overseas didn't have to submit copies of voter id. NC voters had to show id to vote. Most mail-in ballots required some sort of evidence (like a scanned copy) of a voter's id. But there's a special group of voters (mostly military) that used a special portal to submit their ballots. They were not required to submit a copy of their id. Griffin is saying that makes their votes invalid.
3) Children of military voters who live overseas. If you are living overseas with your military family and your parents are NC residents, you can vote as a North Carolinian. 267 folks did this in 2024 and Griffin is saying they shouldn't be able to vote here.
Keep in mind, Griffin has not shown that a *single* one of these votes is fraudulent.
The case so far
timeline
what's next
More court. We're back to practicing patience with the federal courts do their thing. It helps me to remember that it's good for justice to move slowly. That increases the chances that we get it right. (But yes, the waiting is SO hard.)
APr 22, 2025
No ballot curing right now.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a stay of the “cure” process for the overseas voters until the litigation has finished its process.
Importantly, this ruling was made by 2 Republican and 1 Democratic judge. The Republican judge who dissents was clear that his dissent was about a procedural issue, not the underlying claims.
Apr 18, 2025
➡️ Please share THIS LINK far and wide!!! ⬅️
Overseas voters being challenged by Griffin should use this link to tell us how to find them.
This lets NCDP reach out to challenged voters if there is something they need to do to cure their ballots.
Most of the challenged voters are in the military so they can be particularly hard to track down. Let’s help them ensure their ballots count.
PS – the legal battle is confusing AF right now. Don’t stress about those details. We’re focusing our energy on getting this google form into the hands of as many challenged voters as possible.
PPS – I say “we” in this video because I truly believe we are all in this together. But actual professionals who know wtf they are doing will do the outreach.
Apr 16, 2025
Under direct instruction from State and Federal Courts, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has filed a plan to identify and potentially remove ballots from the 2024 Elections. Their tone in this filing is clear: they are complying with court rules, not endorsing them. The filing states:
-
Two groups of voters' paperwork is under review: 1,409 military and overseas voters in Guilford County who didn’t submit photo ID with their absentee ballots (even though they were told they didn’t have to), and 266 voters in 53 counties flagged as “never residents” of NC, many likely misclassified.
-
If they meet the court’s criteria, they’ll receive notice by mail (and if possible, email/phone) and will have 30 days to respond with ID or a sworn affidavit. A portal for online submission is being developed now.
-
Importantly: Ballots won’t be opened or discarded yet. The Board will wait for a future court order before removing any votes. Counties will hold ballots aside but not reveal how anyone voted.
-
Bottom line: The Board is doing its best to carry out legal obligations in a chaotic legal landscape. But the court orders they’re following will result in some voters—many of them overseas or in uniform—losing their vote after the fact.
Three major federal filings dropped today to protect the rights of thousands of North Carolinians whose ballots are at risk of being tossed months after the election:
-
Allison Riggs filed an appeal to the Fourth Circuit, challenging a federal order that allows the State Board of Elections to move forward with discarding ballots—without certifying the race.
-
The NC Democratic Party filed for an emergency injunction to block the State from enforcing a post-election “cure” process that would force overseas voters to verify their eligibility under new rules, five months after voting.
-
The League of Women Voters and impacted voters filed a class action lawsuit, arguing that the real election theft is happening now—through the unconstitutional, retroactive invalidation of legal votes from military and overseas citizens.
Apr 14, 2025
Three major federal filings dropped today to protect the rights of thousands of North Carolinians whose ballots are at risk of being tossed months after the election:
-
Allison Riggs filed an appeal to the Fourth Circuit, challenging a federal order that allows the State Board of Elections to move forward with discarding ballots—without certifying the race.
-
The NC Democratic Party filed for an emergency injunction to block the State from enforcing a post-election “cure” process that would force overseas voters to verify their eligibility under new rules, five months after voting.
-
The League of Women Voters and impacted voters filed a class action lawsuit, arguing that the real election theft is happening now—through the unconstitutional, retroactive invalidation of legal votes from military and overseas citizens.
Apr 12, 2025
-
A federal judge has ordered ballots to be discarded. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers directed the NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) to implement a Supreme Court ruling that will result in hundreds—possibly thousands—of ballots being thrown out.
-
Certification is on hold.
The judge also ruled that no election results can be certified until further guidance is issued. -
More instructions are coming.
The NC Court of Appeals will provide updated directions on how the NCSBE should carry out the "cure" process for the remaining challenged ballots. -
260 ballots are already being tossed.
The votes of 260 individuals labeled as “never residents” have been ruled invalid and will be discarded immediately. -
More ballots are still at risk.
Additional votes in question include military and overseas ballots, many from Democratic-leaning counties like Buncombe, Forsyth, and Durham
Apr 11, 2025
The NC State Supreme Court ruled:
1) 60,000 votes must be counted. Votes belonging to voters who were missing some numbers on their registration forms must be counted. This is good.
2) A few thousand overseas votes must be "cured." This is bad. Certain overseas voters (UOCAVA is the acronym) submit their votes through an online system. That system didn't have a place for them to submit voter id, they signed an affidavit instead. The Court ruled that these voters have 30 days to cure their ballots.
BUT WAIT. Do not start trying to contact them - The NC Board of Elections will lead that process and will tell us if we are needed.
apr 4, 2025
The NC State Supreme Court blocks the Court of Appeals order. Justice Riggs appealed the Court of Appeals ruling. The NC Supreme Court blocked the ruling and will take up arguments in the case...sometime.
apr 4, 2025
The NC State Court of Appeals rules in Griffin's favor. Griffin, who currently sits on the NC Court of Appeals, is affirmed by the court. The Court of Appeals gives challenged voters 15 days to correct their registrations. Justice Riggs plans to appeal.
Feb 7, 2025
Wake County Court rules against Griffin. The Wake County Superior Court rules Griffin's challenge without merit and declares the 68000+ challenged votes to be counted. Griffin appeals to the NC State Court of Appeals.
Feb 4, 2025
The 4th Circuit sends the case back to NC courts. Justice Riggs files a complaint with the Federal 4th Circuit of Appeals. Federal courts have previously ruled that challenges just like Griffin's are invalid. This time, the 4th Circuit remands the challenge to state court but reserves the right to hear new arguments after the state courts have made their decision.
The Can't Win Victory Fund protests, Griffin amends his challenge. As we are reading the 60,000 names of challenged voters in front of the NC State Supreme Court, Griffin amends his complaint to focus on military and overseas voters. Essentially saying "toss these votes out first and if I've won, just don't bother ruling on the remaining 60,000,"
Jan 14, 2025
The State Supreme Court delays certifying the election. The NC State Supreme Court finds in favor of Griffin's request to delay election certification until his challenge is resolved. Two Republican justices indicate that they are uncomfortable with the Griffin's challenge. Democratic Justice Anita Earls dissents as does Republican Justice Richard Dietz. A rare break in party-line decisions from this court. All other NC election results are certified the following Friday.
Jan 7, 2025
Federal Judge sends Griffin's case back to state court. The NC State Board of Elections took Griffin's complaint to federal court. A federal judge then remanded it to state court. The case should have been taken up by Wake County Superior Court, but Griffin skips several steps and takes his challenge to the NC State Supreme Court claiming there isn't time to go through the usual process.
The NC State Board of Elections appeals to the Federal 4th Circuit.
Jan 6, 2025
The NC State Board of Elections removes the case to federal court.
DEC 23, 2024
Judge Griffin files a challenge to 60,000+ votes. The basis of his challenge? Voter registrations that are missing Social Security Numbers or Driver's License numbers. Of note, these numbers were not historically required for voter registrations. Organizers note that many of the challenged votes belong to first time voters, voters with more than 3 names, and voters from traditionally democratic areas.
Critically, the Griffin team cannot and has not shown that a single one of these votes is fraudulent. All NC voters had to show voter id at the polls - these votes are clearly cast by legal voters.
DEC 20, 2024
Nov 18, 2024
Justice Riggs wins. After all ballots are counted and as many provisional ballots are "cured" as possible, Justice Riggs wins the election by 734 votes (out of 5.5 million ballots cast). This triggers an automatic recount. Recounts are completely appropriate for close elections.
The automatic recount confirms Justice Riggs' 734 vote victory. Jefferson Griffin requests a hand recount (also totally normal and appropriate). The hand recount affirms the automatic recount and the original vote total.
Justice Riggs wins by 734 votes.
Election day. Justice Riggs is behind by 10,000+ votes.
Why? Because mail-in and provisional ballots haven't been counted yet.
The NC State Legislature, in all of their wisdom, passed a rule that mail-in ballots can't be counted until the end of election day. This new rule made election night results in close elections misleading.