Judge Rules for Republicans in Challenge to North Carolina 'Never Resident' Voting

Overview

• A Special Superior Court judge issued a ruling siding with state and national Republican groups on the disputed practice of allowing 'never resident' voters, but the written order had not been posted to North Carolina’s eCourts portal for independent review.
• 'Never residents' are U.S. citizens born abroad whose parents last lived in North Carolina and who have been permitted to vote under the federal Uniform Military and Overseas Voter Act.
• Republican officials said the ruling affirms that the state constitution bars people who never lived in North Carolina from voting, while the court’s legal reasoning and the full scope of the order remain unknown without the public filing.
• The legal challenge began in 2024 and the question of 'never resident' ballots played a role in the prolonged dispute over the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race between Allison Riggs and Jefferson Griffin.
• If the order is posted and sustained on appeal, the decision could prompt further litigation, require the State Board of Elections to change ballot-eligibility rules for some overseas voters, and alter registration and voting pathways for people living abroad.