Asheville resident and challenged voter Elizabeth MacDonald said while trying to evacuate during Hurricane Helene, she spent the night in a hospital parking lot with her infant son. Amid the storm recovery, she still made every effort to cast an early vote in the election, she said.

The legal battle has attracted national attention due in part to the plaintiff's claim that tens of thousands of North Carolina voters shouldn't have been allowed to cast a ballot in November.

The N.C. Supreme Court is weighing whether to toss out more than 60,000 ballots cast in the race for a seat on that tribunal. That race is the last uncertified statewide contest in the nation.