Democracy advocates stood in front of the North Carolina Supreme Court from sunrise to sunset Tuesday reading the names of more than 60,000 voters whose ballots are being challenged by state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin, who has refused to concede despite falling 734 votes short of his opponent after a recount.
The readers spoke the names aloud in shifts, county by county, beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday and continued well into the evening. The event was organized by the Can’t Win Victory Fund, a North Carolina-based group launched in the aftermath of the 2024 election that advocates for fairer maps across the United States. Members of the group streamed the demonstration on YouTube and set up a table near the old State Capitol to inform those who stopped by.
Throughout the day, passers-by stopped and lingered at the demonstration, with some approaching organizers to learn more and read through the list of names to see if they or those they know had their ballots challenged.
Nina Morley Day, a Hillsborough voter who attended the protest for two hours with an American flag waving from her backpack, said she came to help draw attention to the “craziness out there,” and to encourage voters to see if their own names are on the list.
“As a retired teacher, I would just say to all these Republicans that think this is a good idea, is this what you’re teaching your kids? That if you don’t like the outcome, you can change the rules, you can cheat, you can lie — that anything’s fair game just to stay in power?” she asked. “I think not.”
For Kate Arden, an instructor at Wake Technical Community College, standing out in the cold Tuesday — where organizers mounted a heat lamp to keep warm — was about showing support for Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, who leads Griffin with all votes counted but whose election has not been certified under court order. “I hope it hits home, the importance of one person, one vote,” Arden said of the protest. “We will always be watching when votes are challenged.”
Tara Arbitter, one of the group’s founding members, said many of the people she’s spoken to whose ballots were among the more than 60,000 targeted “had absolutely no idea” their names were on the list. “Most people, they thought they did their duty, the election’s over, they thought the results were done. They all have very busy, normal lives, and this is not top of mind for them.”
A resident of Iredell County, she looked through the list herself and found neighbors she knew, including some Republicans. When they learned they were on the list, they reacted in shock. “He was like, ‘But I’m a Republican, why would the Republicans be challenging my vote? That doesn’t make any sense.’”
Voters caught up in the challenge include Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters — some Republican elected officials even spoke out against the legal effort after finding their own names on the list. All voted early or turned in absentee ballots.
For most of the names on the list, Griffin contends they should not have been able to vote because he says they did not list a partial Social Security number or driver’s license number on their voter registration forms — an argument similar to one rejected by a federal court prior to the election.
A full list of names included in the challenge can be found here. Names are divided by county and listed in alphabetical order. Readers may also use the search function at the top of the document to enter a name or part of a name.
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