A union is taking North Carolina’s voting laws to court over absentee ballots before the November elections.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Friday asking the courts to stop the state from requiring a witness’s signature for mail-in absentee ballots
Until recently, two witness signatures were required. This changed when a bipartisan elections bill sparked by the coronavirus pandemic narrowed the requirement.
The ACLU said this does not go far enough.
“From our perspective, the witness requirement, so long as it is there, is a hazard to certain voters’ health and that’s why we fought this lawsuit,” said Sophia Lakin, deputy director of the ACLU voting rights. “Suspending this requirement during this period of time is really a common-sense solution.”
North Carolina is one of only 12 states that requires voters to have a witness signature on their absentee ballot, according to the ACLU.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several voters in high-risk groups for the coronavirus states. The union reported similar lawsuits in South Carolina, Virginia and Missouri.