Last week, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the legislature’s power grab over the State Boards of Elections, the agency charged with administering elections, campaign finance disclosures, and all 100 county election boards.
For nearly a century, North Carolina’s governor has had the exclusive power to appoint a majority of the state board of elections from the governor’s own party and to appoint a majority of members of county election boards. As 2024 ended, the lame-duck legislature — over gubernatorial veto — transferred that appointment power from the governor, currently a Democrat, to the state auditor, currently a Republican.
At the same time, the state board’s role gained national attention. Judge Jefferson Griffin, who lost his state supreme court race, petitioned the board to throw out more than 60,000 votes. The board dismissed his challenges, leading to a six-month court battle before he conceded Wednesday.
Even with Griffin’s challenge concluded, the sudden shift in who gets to appoint majorities of state and county elections boards could affect voter access for elections as early as this fall. And it reflects a troubling pattern of using courts and legislatures to undermine elections.
