How one NC voter figured out her ballot was being challenged. How you can, too

Spring Dawson-McClure says the first sign of trouble came in the mail. 

“This was the postcard that I originally received in November,” she said, holding up the black and white form letter. “It’s really surreal.” 

The letter, from the North Carolina Republican Party, warned Dawson-McClure that her vote was being challenged — an effort by the GOP and its candidate for a yet-to-be decided seat on the state Supreme Court to tilt the election in their favor. 

“I didn’t think a whole lot about it, until a few weeks later, when I learned how serious it was,” she said.

Dawson-McClure, a psychologist who has lived and voted in Hillsborough since 2012, is one of more than 60,000 North Carolina voters whose votes are being challenged in court. Griffin and other Republicans say they don't think the state can be certain that the voters are who they say they are due to a variety of clerical issues, including the reconciliation of double last names or misspellings.

Griffin, who trails Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, launched his challenge in court after it was rejected by the Democratic-majority state elections board. 

He took his case to the state Supreme Court — the very court he wants to join. It’s also moving forward simultaneously in federal court. If Griffin prevails, he could wind up in a seat that he hadn’t locked down on Election Day. 

Riggs has led Griffin by more than 700 votes, even after multiple recounts. Republicans argue it’s an issue of election integrity. 

NCGOP spokesman Matt Mercer said in a statement this week: “We have been clear that the systemic failures are the fault of the [North Carolina State Board of Elections], not voters.”

Dawson-McClure’s ballot is being challenged because of a missing hyphen and misspelling — a missing ‘C’ — in the voter rolls. She says she’s never had any previous issues casting a ballot. It took a deep dive into her records at the county board of elections — including pulling out her old voter registration form — to figure out why her vote was being challenged this time.

“I registered legally,” Dawson-McClure said. “I’ve been voting legally. Jefferson Griffin’s claim to the contrary is simply not true.” 

The list of voters being challenged by Griffin is a matter of public record. The original data, from the State Board of Elections, isn’t very user-friendly. It exists in hundreds of individual spreadsheets broken down in granular detail. Some private individuals have since made it more easily searchable — including Apex Town Councilman Terry Mahaffey, a software engineer who created a website to let people search for a specific name or download the data in a single spreadsheet.

The State Board of Elections is also suggesting that people on the list contact their county elections board offices and ask to update their information. 

Ted Shaw, a law professor who is the director of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Center for Civil Rights, agrees. 

“Be proactive,” he said. “The bottom line is, find out if your vote is being challenged. That’s the most important thing right away.” 

Shaw also encouraged voters to engage with voters’ rights groups if they are being challenged, and if their votes are ultimately overturned — they may be able to file their own lawsuit. 

“It takes some time, and you’ve got to fight, but people can consider using the law if they need to,” he said. 

Spring Dawson-McClure says she’s worked with county elections officials to make sure the clerical error that led to her vote being challenged has been corrected. 

But while the error has been fixed, the ongoing lawsuit still has her worried. 

“I’m afraid of what the outcome will be,” she said. “I’m afraid of what that signals to our children about the future of democracy.” 

Can I find out if my vote is being challenged?

Yes. It’s a public record who Griffin is targeting. The original data, from the State Board of Elections, isn’t very user-friendly. It exists in hundreds of individual spreadsheets broken down in granular detail. Some private individuals have since made it more easily searchable — including Apex Town Councilman Terry Mahaffey, a software engineer who created a website to let people search for a specific name or download the data in a single spreadsheet.

What can I do if I’m on the list?

At this point, there might not be a whole lot you can do — although some affected voters have been conducting media interviews or posting on social media in an attempt to raise awareness.

The State Board of Elections is also suggesting that people on the list contact their county elections board offices and ask to update their information. But while that could protect them from being ruled ineligible in a future election, it’s unclear if updating their information now would also protect their 2024 ballot from being thrown out if Griffin wins this lawsuit. The exact details, such as if your vote will be counted or if you’ll be required to re-register to vote, will be up to whichever court makes the final decision on this case.