Reader Question on Witness Signatures

Dave Peterson from Milford, Connecticut: Does the Supreme Court decision for South Carolina requiring witness signatures on envelopes also now apply to Connecticut and other states?

Good question, Dave, but no. As you alluded to, the Supreme Court overrode a lower court ruling and reinstated South Carolina’s requirement that absentee ballots be signed by a witness — but it didn’t impose that rule nationwide. As Maya mentioned here the other day, each state sets its own election laws, and most states do not require anyone other than you to sign your absentee ballot. The states that do require witness signatures are Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin. In addition, Alaska, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Virginia normally require witness signatures, but either the state waived that rule due to the pandemic or a court struck it down.