(The Center Square) – By 5 p.m. Friday, all 100 counties in North Carolina are to have met to certify election results by canvass.
That will mark the end of the ballot canvassing process, likely leading to a decision on whether North Carolina’s only uncalled race will go to a recount.
The lone North Carolina Supreme Court race remained too close to call Friday morning, with Republican Jefferson Griffin leading Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs by just 0.06% or 3,649 votes.
Griffin’s lead has shrunk as absentee and provisional ballots were counted, down from his election night lead of nearly 10,000 votes.
With the current slim margin between the two candidates, a recount is likely. In North Carolina, recounts for statewide races are allowed if the difference between the candidates is either less than 10,000 votes or 0.5% of votes cast, whichever is less. The current vote totals are well within that margin.
While Griffin has not released a statement, Riggs has been regularly posting updates to social media.
On Thursday evening, she signaled that she will likely call for a recount, stating “recounts are a normal part of transparent elections.”
“I’m tremendously grateful to the folks who mobilized across North Carolina to help voters cure their ballots,” Riggs said of the North Carolina process that allows provisional and absentee ballots that were rejected to be fixed. Both Republicans and Democrats have been involved in the curing process over the past week.
“Once every county board reports its results, we will have the official election result,” she said. “This election is incredibly close, and our margin continues to shrink as more absentee ballots are counted.”
Riggs will have until Tuesday at noon to request a recount.
Republicans remain confident Griffin will win the race, even if a recount is called.
“When all the votes are counted, Jefferson Griffin will win,” the North Carolina GOP posted to social media.
Experts have told The Center Square a recount is unlikely to change the outcome of the results.
Yet, Dr. Andy Jackson, director at the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, said the race will be very close.
“Riggs will probably cut Griffin’s lead by about 2,000 votes once Wake County submits its final absentee numbers,” he said. “Then, it will mostly be up to the provisional ballots, which tend to break evenly statewide.”
A report from FairVote, a nonpartisan voting advocacy group, concurs with Jackson’s conclusion.
“Margins must be exceptionally close for a change in outcome to be plausible – even closer than the margin of 0.17% currently separating Democratic Justice Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin,” said Yates Wilburn, FairVote’s state communications associate. “Recounts tend to lead to small vote gains for both sides, and typically widen the gap between the top two candidates instead of decreasing it.”
