The Resistance is Alive and Well

North Carolinians are turning out in force to protect the vote. 

On Monday, over 4,000 people participated in rallies across 16 cities to protest Jefferson Griffin’s embarrassing attempt to overturn the results of the North Carolina Supreme Court race that took place over three months ago. 

Justice Allison Riggs won reelection to the NC Supreme Court by 734 votes. The victory has been confirmed by two independent recounts, and numerous challenges from Griffin have been dismissed for lacking merit. Griffin is attempting to throw out over 65,000 ballots, with his most recent target being active duty service members who voted absentee. Griffin himself voted using a military absentee ballot just 5 years ago. 

108 days after the election, North Carolinians remain incensed by Griffin’s attempts to disenfranchise their neighbors. They have sent letters, recorded testimonials, and stepped up to podiums, and seeing their recent rallies across the state, it’s clear they aren’t ready to quit anytime soon. 

Common Cause NC sponsored Monday’s rallies along with 14 organizations. The orgs were diverse, covering nearly every community and interest area across the state. From the suburban women of Red Wine and Blue, to the labor organizers of the AFL-CIO and the faith leaders of the NC Council of Churches, people came together to defend the rights of their neighbors. 

I was particularly struck by the words of Chyanne Stafford, an 18-year-old first time voter from Jacksonville: 

Never let anybody tell you that your vote doesn’t matter, and when you’re gonna go vote during election season, make sure you do your research on all of your candidates, use your voice, and if a time comes again where your vote is being challenged, we’ll be here to fight for you as well.

Griffin’s attempt to overturn the results of an election that he decidedly lost has been demoralizing by design. He’s waging a legal war of attrition, betting on the cynical idea that eventually we will lose the will to fight for our fundamental rights. 

And we are proving him wrong. 

Whenever the worry begins to set in, we need to remember that there are people in the streets, on the phones, on their keyboards, scrappily fighting to build a better future for all of us. 

The resistance is alive and well. See you there.