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Military and overseas voters at center of challenges in Riggs-Griffin NC Supreme Court race

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Military and overseas voters at center of challenges in Riggs-Griffin NC Supreme Court race


RALEIGH, N.C. — Almost six months later, and the North Carolina Supreme Court Race is still the only uncertificated race left in the country from 2024.

While multiple recounts confirmed Democrat Allison Riggs’ 734-vote win, Republican Jefferson Griffin’s ongoing challenges are now narrowing to a smaller pool of military and overseas voters.

Saturday morning, Riggs was speaking at the Lee County Democratic Convention in Sanford. Both thanking supporters and acknowledging she still has a fight ahead to maintain her narrow win over Griffin and make sure every vote counts.

“From my perspective, it doesn’t matter if it’s one voter, 6,000 voters, or 68,000 voters; every vote cast by an eligible voter should be counted, and I will not give one inch,” she said.

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Riggs scored a partial win when the Supreme Court ruled the bulk of voters challenged by Griffin, who showed IDs, would have their votes count.

But a smaller number of military and overseas voters are still being called into question.

New ads are running calling out the Griffin campaign’s tactics, arguing military voters were exempt from the ID law, and federal laws have made it easier for those serving our country to cast ballots back home.

“It’s of utmost importance that as we move forward. That we make it as easy as possible for our servicemembers who are serving overseas to have their voices heard and participate in the election process that they are wearing the uniform to defend,” said U.S. Air Force Veteran Anil Nathan, co-founder of We The Veterans.

ALSO SEE: Justice Riggs rallies voters amid unresolved state Supreme Court race: ‘I will not back down’

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It’s a message echoed by former GOP Governor Pat McCrory, who admits he actually voted for Griffin himself.

“I wanted the Republican judge to win because his philosophy more aligns with me. But in order to take the seat, you’ve got to earn the seat and win the seat. And in this case, he was defeated,” McCrory said.

McCrory says as someone no stranger to a narrow election loss, this would set a dangerous precedent.

“You abide by the rules before the election. It’s like changing a penalty call after the Super Bowl is over. You don’t do that. And the military personnel, I think, are special. And that’s why an exception was made for ID, that we trusted the military to do what’s right. And they voted based upon the rule set,” he said.

But other Republicans, including Griffin, still show no signs of backing down. The NCGOP told our Raleigh sister station, ABC11, in a statement on Saturday, “It’s no surprise far far-left Democrats are once again lying to North Carolinians and covering up for the partisan State Board of Elections’ failure to follow state law. The people of our state put Voter ID in the State Constitution; that’s the issue at play here. Judge Griffin himself served in a uniform a week before Election Day. There is no one who takes the oath more seriously.”

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Riggs is still likely to take the case to federal court to ensure every remaining challenged vote counts.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

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North Carolina

NC to receive nearly $70M in FEMA funds, Madsion County manager says $14M hasn’t arrived

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NC to receive nearly M in FEMA funds, Madsion County manager says M hasn’t arrived


Senator Tedd Budd’s office announced nearly $70 million in public assistance FEMA funds for Helene recovery toward the North Carolina Department of Transportation, cities and counties.

Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt created a color-coded spreadsheet of projects, both paid and unpaid. Honeycutt said he sends the spreadsheet to federal leaders’ offices, including Budd’s, regularly to ensure staff are aware of what’s not reimbursed.

Honeycutt estimates about $14 million in reimbursements from FEMA haven’t come through.

As for the $1.9 million just approved for Madison County’s emergency protective measures, including laborers, equipment reimbursement, Honeycutt said the county doesn’t have it yet.

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NORTH CAROLINA TO RECEIVE $70M IN ADDITIONAL FEMA FUNDING AS NOEM FACES CRITICISM

“It’s coming back to our fund balance,” said Honeycutt. “And we know it will take six more weeks for it to get through the state and to the county.”

Honeycutt estimates that within six months, FEMA will resolve all reimbursements. He said debris removal jobs along the French Broad River have been delayed as FEMA continues to review the applications.

MARCH 5, 2026 – Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt created a color-coded spreadsheet of projects, both paid and unpaid. Honeycutt said he sends the spreadsheet to federal leaders’ offices, including Budd’s, regularly to ensure staff are aware of what’s not reimbursed. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)

In Marshall, the town has leased store spaces on Main Street, along with signs advertising leasing available. But longtime resident, artist and business owner Josh Copus is optimistic that Marshall and its community will thrive once again. He acknowledged that FEMA funds and reimbursements to clean up have been an important part of the area’s recovery.

MORE THAN $3.5M HEADED TO BURKE COUNTY FOR CONTINUED HELENE RECOVERY

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“I would say our town is 50% fixed and our town was 100% destroyed, so 50% is pretty good,” Copus said.

The awards include:

  • Biltmore Forest: $2.5 million for debris removal reimbursement.
  • Buncombe County Sewage District: $1.57 million reimbursement for line repairs, vacuuming, line replacements and riverbank restoration.
  • Old Fort: $1.15 million Westerman Street Waterline for potable water reimbursement.
  • Mitchell County: $11.9 million for debris contractors, tipping fees and debris monitoring reimbursement.
  • Buncombe County: $3.5 million toward labor costs for 836 laborers during and after Helene reimbursement.
  • Asheville: $5.6 million for North Fork Treatment Plant repairs reimbursement.
  • Lake Lure: $1.48 million for lake safety repairs reimbursement.
  • Madison County: $1.9 million for emergency protective measures, including laborers, equipment reimbursement.



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2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers

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2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers


Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:

BERTIE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)

CARTERET COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)

CRAVEN COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)

DUPLIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)

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EDGECOMBE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)

GREENE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)

HYDE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)

JONES COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)

LENOIR COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)

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MARTIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)

ONSLOW COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)

PAMLICO COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)

PITT COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)

TYRRELL COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

30.49% (723 out of 2,371)

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WASHINGTON COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)

WAYNE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)



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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM

NC schools and businesses encouraged to practice tornado safety

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.

The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.

Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.

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SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend

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Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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