3,700 Guilford County votes among those challenged in Griffin case

Over 3,700 Guilford County ballots from the November election could be thrown out, if a judicial candidate's legal challenge is successful. An advocacy group stopped in Greensboro Monday to raise awareness about the issue. 

Republican Jefferson Griffin trails his Democratic opponent Allison Riggs by about 700 votes. He’s challenging the validity of 60,000 ballots statewide, arguing in part that those voters’ registration records were missing driver’s license or social security numbers. 

A federal court is now set to rule on the issue.

Bob Phillips, with government watchdog group Common Cause North Carolina, says the organization created a mobile billboard to alert voters across the state to the matter. 

“There is no question that these folks are properly registered voters. It's a technicality, a minor one at that," he said. "It is completely absurd.”

Common Cause has posted the list of challenged ballots on its website. Phillips says many affected voters are seeking answers. 

“People are confused," he said. "They're frustrated, and the question they ask is, ‘’What do I do?’”

Phillips says voters can reach out to their local boards of elections and ask if additional information is needed for their records. But this will not impact the current litigation. 

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will begin hearing oral arguments on January 27.