Click on a question below to read the answer: if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Ballotpedia features 319,632 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College? In New York and New Jersey this year, for instance, thousands of primary ballots were thrown out due to mismatched signatures. Of those states, 25 provide voters notice and opportunity to verify their identity when there are signature discrepancies. Election rules in multiple key battleground states permit voters to submit mail-in and absentee ballots without having their signatures checked to ensure the vote is valid. A short time later, a federal lawsuit was filed asking for the required witness signature on an absentee ballot to be waived due to coronavirus concerns. They’ve submitted the envelope with no signature, so we can’t even do a signature match verification. States also generally require voters to include their signature on the ballot envelope, which can be matched against information from voter rolls to verify their identity. Prior to voting in favor of a witness requirement, Oklahoma state Rep. Chris Kannady (R) said, "The worse thing that you can do is fraudulently vote . The judge struck down that rule both under the Iowa constitution and on procedural due process grounds. Wendy Underhill, director of the elections and redistricting program for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), said that from a voter's perspective, "[ballot collection] may be taken as a kindness if someone offers to mail in or drop off a voted ballot. What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day? disputes, lawsuits, and recounts, Submit a photo, survey, video, conversation, or bio. How and when are election results finalized? Filed in August, the plaintiffs complained that signature match verification for mail-in ballots yields uncertain results due to the high rate of ballot spoliation. A court order allowing registered Minnesota voters to skip getting a witness signature on their mail-in ballot for next week’s primary election will be extended to the November general election, In other cases, signature-match rules have been struck down by jurists. Another four states practice signature matching, but do not allow voters to remedy mismatches. Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes? . Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results? Saturday, Sept. 19, U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs decided to waive the signature requirement for the November election . Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021? A witness requirement is a rule requiring a voter to have another individual witness the voter filling out his or her ballot and attesting that the person filling out the ballot is the voter to whom the ballot is addressed. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. @WBTV_News — Morgan Newell WBTV (@MorganNewellTV) October 6, 2020 What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil? If you sent your ballot without a witness signature before today or “within two days” of the order, it will be counted according to Supreme Court documents. Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots. Five states that have historically been competitive in presidential races — North Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire — do not require signature-matching for mailed voting forms. In Iowa last year, meanwhile, a district court judge struck down a portion of a state election law which mandated that a voter’s affidavit signature match his or her signature on record with the state. States with witness requirements may require that the witness be a notary. How do election workers match signatures? All 50 states require a valid signature for an absentee/mail-in ballot to be counted. Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown? That means they are now REQUIRED. [1], Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, told The New York Times that signature matching "is the best way to strike a balance between security, transparency, and accessibility for voters" when done properly, including a process to fix signature mismatches. Problems with mail-in ballots have been widely reported over the course of the year. Eight states will require voters to get at least one witness to sign their mail-in ballot this November. What kinds of issues can election-related lawsuits address? What are the reasons to call a redo election? In New Hampshire in 2018, a judge struck down a state law ordering election officials to match a voter’s signature on the application for a mail-in ballot with the voter’s signature on an affidavit accompanying the ballot itself. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) Yet the vote in key battleground states this year may come down to a dispute of just several thousand ballots. Five states that have historically been competitive in presidential races — North Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire — do not require signature-matching for mailed voting forms. “There are many other security measures in place to protect the integrity of absentee voting in Wisconsin, including the use of photo ID,” he added. How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. “[T]he current process for rejecting voters due to a signature mismatch fails to guarantee basic fairness,” the ruling states. “Voters should be directed to sign using their normal signature as they would sign any other official document and election inspectors should indicate the line number on which the voter is to sign,” the state says. "[2] Opponents of witness requirements say that these rules complicate the voting process for the elderly, those who live alone, and individuals with disabilities or chronic health problems. Pundits more broadly argue that voting fraud in the U.S. is comparatively rare and not likely to influence the results of a presidential election one way or the other. Millions more voters than average have turned to mail-in voting over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic out of concerns that voting in person could put citizens at risk of catching and transmitting the coronavirus. VERIFY: In DC, Maryland, Virginia your mail-in ballot signature does not have to match your DMV signature. New Hampshire was an even slimmer margin, at 0.4%. How do major media outlets declare winners? Pennsylvania Supreme Court says ballots can’t be rejected based on signature comparisons. The map below highlights states with witness requirements. Before the pandemic, 12 states required voters to have notary or witness signatures with their ballots. One state explicitly allowed only the voter to return his or her ballot. In Wisconsin in 2016, for example, President Trump’s margin of victory over Hillary Clinton was just 0.77%, while in Pennsylvania it was 0.72%. “What we’re talking about is mailing them to everyone on the voter list,” he argued on CNN, “when everyone knows those voter lists are inaccurate. To our knowledge, at least 31 states have active signature matching laws (or interpret their signature verification laws to require signature matching) for absentee ballot verification. Why do states have different election rules? Voting rights activists argue that signature-match provisions are too burdensome for voters, particularly given the subjective interpretation of poll workers and the minor variations that can be observed in signatures over time. Any absentee ballot submitted after Oct. 7 must have a witness signature. What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person? The ruling suggested election officials could institute a policy of reaching out to voters regarding disputed ballots in order to give them a chance to rectify the errors. Many states with signature-matching laws dictate that voters must be contacted about any disputed ballots in order to be given the opportunity to correct them. How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount? The court ruling backed up a policy issued by … Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. . In a chaotic primary season in New Jersey, there were reports of residents receiving ballots for their dead parents and hundreds of Republicans receiving Democratic primary ballots. Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told Just the News that the state “has never matched signatures for absentee ballots or any other voting activity.”. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia practice signature matching and allow voters to remedy mismatches. As of August 2020, 24 states and the District of Columbia permitted someone chosen by the voter to return the ballot on the voter's behalf in most cases. Or living alone and being afraid to let someone in because we’re in a pandemic. Thirty-one states, including Georgia, have signature matching requirements to verify absentee ballots, but it’s hard to find an objective way to do it. Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded? What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office? Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions. Mark Gaber, the director of trial litigation at the Campaign Legal Center, said that signature matching was problematic, with courts having found "that there's a high risk of wrongly being identified as not having signed your ballot."[1]. States that require employers to grant employees time off to vote, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=How_do_states_protect_and_verify_absentee/mail-in_ballots%3F_(2020)&oldid=8167387, Tracking election These laws, referred to as ballot collection or ballot harvesting laws, vary by state. The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Harris Suspends Travel After Staffer Tests COVID-19 Positive, Apprehensions at Southern Border Decreased by Nearly Half from Last Year 2019, CBP Says. Additionally, the complaint said, once a voter has their ballot rejected over an allegedly faulty signature, the government provides no notice or opportunity for voters to learn about or fix the alleged discrepancy. According to The New York Times, 32 states use the signature provided with a voter's absentee/mail-in ballot to verify his or her identity by comparing it with the signature on file (e.g., the signature on a driver's license or voter registration application). Any absentee ballot submitted after Oct. 7 must have a witness signature. All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting, and all states establish mechanisms for verifying the validity of absentee/mail-in ballots. ... “You do not have to have a witness in order to sign your ballot,” Haynes said. [4], Twelve states limit the number of ballots one individual may collect and return. Others allow any adult citizen to act as a witness for this purpose. (2020), More frequently asked questions about the 2020 election, Presidential election lawsuits and recounts, Processing, counting, and challenging ballots, Signature requirements and signature matching, Absentee/mail-in voting signature and witness requirements, 2020, Ballot harvesting (ballot collection) laws by state. Alaska allows anyone to request a mail-in ballot and does not require they provide a reason. Attorney General William Barr said last month that the U.S. “[hasn’t] had the kind of widespread use of mail-in ballots as being proposed” this election year. 2020 Elections. Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021? Next question: How do election workers match signatures? Any absentee ballot submitted after Oct. 7 must have a witness signature. How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots? Proponents of witness requirements argue that the process prevents fraud by holding others (the witness) accountable for the authenticity of the voter. Other states may require a witness’ signature on the ballot. JUST IN: Supreme Court orders absentee witness signatures to be REINSTATED. Both Rhode Island and North Carolina -- a battleground state -- typically require either two witnesses or one notary to sign voters' absentee ballots. Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election, U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election, When can states begin processing and counting ballots, Election results certification dates, 2020. Who pays for recounts and election challenges? In some cases, state officials have explicitly codified that rule. Judges in New Hampshire and Iowa in recent years both struck down provisions of state laws mandating signature-match policies for absentee ballots. Each jurdisction has different remedies if you leave a signature off the mail-in ballot. RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC/WAVY) — Absentee voters in Virginia will not have to obtain a signature from a witness before submitting their ballot for the Nov. 3 election. Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot? Again, please ask specifically about people with Parkinson’s whose signature may not match what is on file. "[5] NCSL also says, however, that such a limit on the number of ballots on individual may return "are based on the concern that saving people the task of returning their ballot can bleed into encouraging them to vote a certain way."[6]. “The law does not require voter signatures to be legible,” the rule continues. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina officials filed an emergency request asking the Supreme Court to reinstate the state’s witness requirement for absentee ballots. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The court battle over whether you need a witness … "[3], Most states have laws allowing someone other than a voter to return the voter's absentee/mail-in ballot. However, several changed their laws to make it easier for voters to cast ballots remotely and avoid the risk of contracting the virus, leaving the total now at eight, including Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Twelve states specified who may return ballots (i.e., household members, caregivers, and/or family members) in most cases. Witness Signature Required for Mail-In Ballots. Who pays for recounts and contested elections? Imagine living in a rural community and living alone where that wouldn’t an option. And in Wisconsin, the state’s website declares that “election inspectors are not required … to compare the signature [of a voter] to any other record.”. What is the life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot? “Such discretion [in signature verification] becomes constitutionally intolerable once other factors are taken into account: the natural variations in voters’ signatures combined with the absence of training and functional standards on handwriting analysis, and the lack of any review process or compliance measures.”. “They’re people who have replaced the previous occupant, and they can make them out and sometimes multiple ballots come to the same address, with … several generations of occupants.”. Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night? What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final? In the latest development in battle regarding witness signatures on mail-in absentee ballots, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the requirement for witness signatures on these ballots. CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - South Carolinians voting absentee by mail must now have their signatures on ballot return envelopes witnessed after the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday issued an order reversing a lower court’s ruling. and this is the way we prevent that from happening. Absentee/mail-in voting does not happen in person on Election Day but instead occurs another way (generally by mail). North Carolina is one of only 12 states that requires voters to have a witness signature on their absentee ballot, according to the ACLU. But multiple lawsuits are pending to remove witness requirements because of the pandemic. The map below identifies the states that use signature matching and allow for remedying mismatches, those that use signature matching and do not allow for remedying mismatches, and those that do not use signature matching. Explore Billionaires What are the steps and deadlines for electing the President of the United States? COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina officials filed an emergency request asking the … said, "I live alone and I actually went outside and waited for the first person I saw walking their dog and asked if they could stop for a moment and be my witness. Rhode Island has completely eliminated this requirement for November, and in North Carolina, only one witness is required instead of two. Can a redo be held for a presidential election? Can a candidate or voter request a recount? Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots? Numerous politicians and commentators, including President Trump, have claimed that mass mail-in voting this year could pose a greater-than-average threat to election integrity. Mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election do not require witness ... the witness signature is no longer required for ... you may not safely have a witness present while completing your ballot. You can first check your Board of Elections website but to be certain, it also would be a good idea to call and speak to someone about it. For the 2020 general election, seven states have a witness requirement for absentee/mail-in ballots, with one of those states requiring that the witness be a notary. What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date? This week, a judge overturned the requirement for a witness signature on absentee ballots in South Carolina for a second time. In some cases, state officials have explicitly codified that rule. Some states permit voters to correct disputed signatures either before the election or up until several days after it. The absence of signature-verification policies in critical battleground states raises the specter of potential voter fraud among some of the most unpredictable voting districts in the country. Ballots received through October 7 will be accepted without a witness signature. What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it? Court rules that witness signature required for mail ... on ballot return envelopes witnessed according to a United States Supreme Court ... can be a witness. Election result reporting and certification. The following map summarizes ballot collection laws by state as of August 2020. What methods do states use to prevent election fraud? That includes nearly 5 million voters in the battlefield states of Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where elections workers will have to verify, process and count ballots in a matter of days. What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election? The mass move to mail-in voting has led to a litany of logistical and procedural issues over the last several months, including many involving signature-match problems. What are faithless electors in the Electoral College? Can candidates win an election if they have already conceded? Thirteen states did not specify whether someone may return another's ballot. Eighteen states either do not have signature matching laws or do not practice signature matching on a regular basis. In August, Karen Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, wrote in a memo to all local county boards that a voter’s siagnture “shall not be compared with the voter’s signature on file because this is not required by North Carolina law.”, “County boards shall accept the voter’s signature on the container-return envelope if it appears to be made by the voter,” she continued, “meaning the signature on the envelope appears to be the name of the voter and not some other person.”, “Absent clear evidence to the contrary,” she added, “the county board shall presume that the voter’s signature is that of the voter, even if the signature is illegible.”. 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