RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Republican state auditor has started making appointments to a new State Board of Elections because an appeals court said a law can still be enforced while it is challenged by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Auditor Dave Boliek announced on Thursday three Republicans to the five-member board. Democrats led by Stein oppose the law, which takes away the board appointment power that a governor has held under state law going back over a century. The state Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday the appointment switch enacted by Republicans could be carried out while broader legal questions are reviewed.… Continue Reading

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court has sided with the trailing candidate in a close state Supreme Court election from November. The intermediate-level Court of Appeals ruled Friday that ballots covering three categories should be disallowed. This overturns decisions of the State Board of Elections and favors Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin. He’s 734 votes behind Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs. Griffin’s postelection protests challenged over 65,000 ballots. The decision tells election officials to give voters in two of the categories about three weeks to provide needed information so their ballots could count. But the ruling first will likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court.… Continue Reading