The North Carolina Voters Who Could Have Their Ballots Tossed By Jefferson Griffin’s Election Challenge — ProPublica

The Republican judge spent more than two months trying to cancel his small defeat in the Supreme Court of North Carolina, claiming that about 60,000 ballots should be thrown. But many residents have just recently learned that their votes may not be counted, and they say that they did nothing wrong.

Propublica heard from dozens of voters who expressed surprise and anger in connection with Judge’s attempts by Jefferson Griffin Appeal Court to cancel their newsletters. The lawsuit on the St. heart calling to Griffin: It is impossible to count the ballot of the voter, whose registration lacks the driver’s license number or the last four digits of the social insurance number.

State Election Commission and a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump rejected the Griffin’s argument that lack of information should make voices invalid. More than that State election officials made it clear that is a lot of legitimate reasons lack of driver’s license or social insurance information. And this is not that voters can vote without confirming who they are. North Carolina’s law requires that people confirm their identity at polling stations – in most cases, showing a driver’s license.

Elizabeth McDonald, who registered as an independent voter and lives in the Western North Carolina area, damaged by Hurricane Helen, made sure that she was still absorbed by both the devastation of the storm and the requirements of her. Baby. “The prospect of losing my voice for arbitrary and political reasons is particularly painful, given the personal and public injuries that we have experienced over the past few months,” McDonald wrote in a letter to Griffin, which she shared with PROPBLICA.

“We are very upset,” said Frank Jarvis, whose registration was challenged and lived on the state coast. “We are traditional conservatives and Republicans, but it leaves a terrible taste in the mouth, regardless of which side it is. I do not need such a person to represent me in the Supreme Court. “

Many data analysis shows that voters whose ballots were the target of Griffin disproportionately black. Democratic and young. Griffin’s lawyers wrote in a legal note that if the court satisfies their requests to cancel the ballot, Probably Griffin will be able to cancel his loss in 734 votes The incumbent president from the Democratic Party Elison Rigs. Issued most of the Republican Supreme Courts Order of blocking the Riga victory certification Until Griffin’s call is considered in the lower court.

Griffin answered the list of detailed questions from the propublica, writing: “I cannot comment on unfinished lawsuits. For me, this would be a violation of our Code of Code of Judges. “

Below are the stories of four of the dozen voters, from which Propublica learned, whose experience reflects different reasons that their registration may lack driver’s license and social insurance information. One health does not allow the car to drive, so it has no right. The other is among the voters who claim that their registration application was filled properly and most likely the guilty mistake. A newcomer to many who have not yet had North Carolina’s driver’s license when registered for voting. And, at the other end of the spectrum, the long -standing voter of the North Carolina is one of the millions that registered before the information was labeled as necessary in the form of registration of the state voters.

“Today is North Carolina and tomorrow is another state”

In mid-January, dozens of mostly black voters gathered in the Historical Church in New Berne, North Carolina to find out why the white judge tried to dismiss their votes. A collection in Peter Ame Zion Church was created during a civil war for the newly released African Americans, and since then it remained Central Arena State Political Struggle. One of the organizers of the meeting was Vicky Sykes, a 58-year-old polling station, who called a voter defender in early January and reported that her newsletter was among those Griffin tried to give. disqualify.

“The audacity challenge me was shocking,” Sykes said. “I know the rules.”

Sykes said she took with her a driver’s license when registered for voting in 2024 after moving to another North Carolina district and handed it to an election officer – and now suspected that the administrative mistake could be guilty that her driver’s license was not entered on Her shape. Concerned that many people are not aware that their votes are threatened with cancellation, Sykes and her daughter -in -law, pastor, organized a meeting by distributing information via Facebook messages, calls, voting groups and leaflets.

“I want people to know that this is North Carolina today, and tomorrow it is another staff,” Sykes said. “It can be a plan of what will happen. So we will fight like the hell so that it does not happen. “

“There was such a feeling that Griffin tried to throw me away”

Epilepsy’s chuckle is a disease that is dangerous to drive a car when seizures arise when he was driving. But Addeson never expected his health affecting his ability to vote.

He said that he was 18 years old in 2022, he registered in the Wake District using his social security number. He easily voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections, using a state -owned test.

Then, a few weeks ago, his mother told him that his registration was challenged by Griffin after she heard about the problems and searched Their copy is available online. “I almost didn’t believe myself. I already had to take special measures to make sure I could vote, ”Addisan said. “It seemed like Griffin was trying to throw me away.”

Since then, Addeson has openly talks about problems, especially in the online community, where he spends most of his time, as his health restricts his ability to move in the physical world. “I want people to understand what what was happening should not happen,” Addisan said.

“Make sure your voice is considered”

One day last week, Sofia Dib-Games, a 18-year-old college freshman, put a sign on the table at Duke University’s main dining room: “Make sure your voice is considered.” Then she began to ask passers -by who hurried to classes, whether they knew whether their bulletin in the 2024 elections would be challenged. The first student who came was shocked when found it it.

Dib-Gomes is a member of the Student Election Laboratory at Duke Central University and North Carolina, a group that combined a list of Griffin problems to identify about 750 students from Duke whose ballots were targeted, and about 4,300 from other colleges. Studies of the group It believes that Griffin’s challenges are disproportionate to affect young voters. According to the study, people between the ages of 18 and 25 at 3.4 times more often received challenges than people over 65.

Helping the study, Games was surprised to find that she was among those who voted. When she moved from New York to North Carolina last year, she registered for voting, pointing her social security number because she had no state driver’s license.

“These were the first elections in which I was able to vote, so I was very disappointed when I found out,” said Dib -Gomes, who provided her passport to confirm her identity while voting. “Students don’t have to feel what their fault or they did something wrong. This is aimed at canceling the elections. “

“Him really can get out of hand”

When Miyi Beller grew up, her mother led her to the polls and talked to her about how important the vote was. In November, Beller first took her own daughter to the polls. Then they went to eat at the Indian restaurant to celebrate. “I said,” Thank you for the vote, “and she said,” Thank you for raising me a voter, “Beller recalls.

Soon the voting group contacted Beller to tell her that Griffin was challenged by her voice. More than two decades have passed since 62-year-old Beller registered for voting. About a year ago, the state registration form did not require people to include driving licenses or social insurance information, Instead of coding it as optionalformerly updating it After the complaint to the State Election Commission, he noted that the information should be required. Beller felt a special disappointment with Griffin’s challenges because she lives outside Ashwill, North Carolina, part of the territory of which was destroyed by Hurricane Helen, and felt that neither her nor other voters affected by the problem needed extra stress after As they tried to vote during the storm. The consequences.

“I always think it can’t be real,” Belarus said. “But as it approached, it can really get out of hand.”