Hundreds attend Greensboro rally protesting GOP efforts to throw out NC ballots

Hundreds gathered at Greensboro event space Back Table on Saturday to protest Republican efforts to discard thousands of ballots from the November election.

In a dimly lit back room, a standing-room-only crowd erupted in cheers as the Piedmont Raging Grannies, an activist choral group, took the stage. Dressed in crocheted sweaters, they performed a pointed message to Republican Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin:

“You must concede,” they sang. “You know you didn’t win.”

In two separate recounts, Griffin came up about 700 votes short of his opponent Democrat Allison Riggs, but he’s contending the race isn’t over. And his court battle to invalidate 65,000 votes he says are illegitimate is enraging more than just the Grannies. Speaker after speaker framed the issue as a threat to voter rights.

“This is not a partisan issue,” said Guilford County resident Rachel Arnold. “Sure, we all want our candidate to win. That’s always the goal in an election. But I stand before you to tell you that this is not what’s at stake. What’s at stake is voter integrity, the rights of people to have their voices be heard, and our democracy.”

Arnold’s vote is among those being challenged. Griffin has argued the records of those on the list are missing identifying information like driver’s license or social security numbers. 

“My application shows my driver’s license number on there,” Arnold said. “I did everything I was supposed to do, and there is case law in statute that protects my right to vote having done all of those things.”

The rally was among 17 held across the state to raise awareness about the issue as the case makes its way through the court system. It now sits with the state court of appeals, with a ruling not expected until at least next month.