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Federal court lets state certification stand; Lisonbee Riggs certified and new NC elections director begins
Summary
During the May 29 meeting the board's director reported a federal court upheld the State Board of Elections' prior decision dismissing an election protest; the state certified the winning candidate after the challenger declined to appeal. The director also announced leadership and calendar updates from the State Board of Elections.
Dare County elections staff on May 29 summarized recent state and federal developments: a federal court upheld the North Carolina State Board of Elections' December decision to dismiss an election protest, the protester declined to appeal, the state issued a certificate of election, and the State Board has a new executive director.
In a director's report presented to the Dare County Board of Elections, staff said that on May 5 a federal court affirmed the state board's decision to dismiss the election protest brought by Jefferson Griffin in a November contest for North Carolina Supreme Court associate justice. The court gave Griffin seven days to appeal; on May 7 Griffin declined to appeal. As a result, the State Board of Elections issued a certificate of election to the candidate who received the most votes in the official canvass, Lisonbee Riggs, on May 13, 2025. Staff said the State Board had previously certified canvassed vote totals on Dec. 11, 2024. The director explained that ballots challenged in the protest will remain in the official count; no further action by those voters is required.
The director's report also noted a leadership change at the state level: Sam Hayes began serving as executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections on May 15, 2025; Hayes was appointed by the state board earlier in May to replace Karen Brinson Bell when her term expired.
Calendar and next steps Staff announced upcoming dates relevant to county boards and election administration: the next Dare County Board of Elections meeting is scheduled for June 17 at 10 a.m.; the State Board of Elections will appoint county board members and the state auditor will announce county chair appointments on June 24; new county board members statewide will be sworn in on July 22, 2025 at noon for two-year terms; candidate filing for upcoming municipal elections runs July 7 (opening at 8:30 a.m.) through July 18 at noon; and the North Carolina State Board of Elections summer conference will be July 27–29 in Wilmington. Staff said they plan to attend some of the regional/state meetings and encouraged board members to register.
Why it matters: the federal court's decision and the resulting state certification resolve uncertainty in the affected judicial contest, and the upcoming state and county deadlines set the administrative calendar for filings, appointments and training ahead of municipal elections.
