Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs leads Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin by 734 votes. The state board of elections, then a Democratic controlled state board of elections, interpreted that to say that it was only applying to about 1,600 votes from Guilford County. This week, Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek has exercised his newly given right to appoint members of the state board of elections, and he did this week appoint a Republican majority.