NC Supreme Court race reaffirms importance of every vote

TL/DR –

The election for a significant seat on North Carolina’s highest court is coming down to about 600 votes, underscoring the importance of every vote in elections. The 2020 state Supreme Court race in the same state was determined by 401 votes out of nearly 5.4 million. The current state Supreme Court race between Justice Allison Riggs and Judge Jefferson Griffin is separated by 623 votes out of about 5.5 million, with a recount underway and the losing candidate already filing protests to discount over 60,000 ballots.

The crucial North Carolina Supreme Court seat election, potentially impacting abortion rights and democracy at large, is anticipated to be won by a thin margin of 600 votes.

The significance of 600 votes is underscored every election cycle with repeated messages that every vote counts, and the slightest margins can decide the winner. The US Presidential office has frequently been won by slim margins over the past two decades. The margins are even slimmer at the local and state levels.

RELATED: NC Supreme Court race sees Riggs declaring victory while her opponent contests 60,000 votes

North Carolina voters, in the 2020 state Supreme Court race, saw Chief Justice Cheri Beasley lose to her Republican opponent Paul Newby by a mere 401 votes out of nearly 5.4 million.

This year, the state is witnessing another tight race in the Supreme Court election between Justice Allison Riggs and Judge Jefferson Griffin. The statewide recount is in progress, with a handful of counties having declared their results.

Justice Riggs is currently leading Judge Griffin by only 623 votes out of approximately 5.5 million – a 0.02% separation.

Griffin, the trailing candidate, has made attempts to disqualify over 60,000 ballots, which is roughly the population of Chapel Hill.

While Griffin has every right to demand a recount, baseless allegations of fraud and intimidation of voters are an assault on democracy. However, in spite of several obstacles to voting, North Carolina voters have actively participated in this election.

The importance of every vote, and by extension every voice, cannot be overstated, regardless whether the winning margin is 10 or 600 or 10,000, as every voice matters in shaping the future of democracy.

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