MAKING IT HARDER

SCOTUS Reinstates South Carolina’s Mail-In Ballot Witness Rule Despite Raging Pandemic

In a Republican victory, the justices said witnesses will be required for mail-in ballots despite it posing a contact risk.

The Supreme Court has handed a victory to the Republican Party by reinstating the witness requirement for South Carolina mail-in ballots. Previously, the state’s lower courts ruled that witnesses shouldn’t be needed to complete a ballot this year because they could create an unnecessary contact risk during the still-raging pandemic. However, in an order issued Monday, the high court tossed aside that ruling and largely reinstated the requirement for witnesses—though the Supreme Court did make an exception for ballots cast before it acted. South Carolina is home to a surprisingly close Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison. Graham warned liberals in the state last week that his team is “gonna kick your ass.”