COLUMBIA, S.C.: A flurry of federal court rulings this month over whether South Carolinians need witnesses to sign their mail-in ballots this November has left many confused and frustrated as voting registration deadlines approach, with absentee voting beginning in less than a week.
The rulings stem from one of several lawsuits filed over the state’s election rules during the coronavirus pandemic. A federal district judge struck down the witness signature requirement on Sept. 18, only for a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the rule less than a week later. On Friday, the full appeals court decided to revert to the district judge’s order temporarily, until the entire court makes a final ruling.
AARP South Carolina Director Teresa Arnold said the two different messages on the witness signature requirement are contributing to high levels of…