USPS Quietly Added Rule Prohibiting Workers From Signing Mail-In Ballots As Witnesses
By Cristina Cabrera
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/usps-quietly-added-rule-prohibiting-workers-from-signing-mail-in-ballots-as-witnesses
August 19, 2020 8:05 a.m.
The U.S. Postal Service enacted a rule this summer banning its clerks from signing mail-in ballots as witnesses while on duty, a restriction that can prevent the ballots from being counted.
The Anchorage Daily News reported on Tuesday that Alaska Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai had sent the USPS a letter last Thursday seeking an explanation for complaints that postal workers in her state had been telling voters they were not allowed to sign the ballots.
This came as surprise to the state because we know in past elections postal officials have served as witnesses, Fenumiai wrote. Rural Alaska relies heavily on postal officials as they are often sometimes the only option for a witness.
In fact, Alaskas instructions on sending in ballots state that a postal worker counts as an authorized official who can sign on as a voters witnesses.
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Alaska is one of several states that require people who vote by mail to have their ballots signed by a witness, otherwise the ballot will not be considered valid. Virginia, a key swing state, has the same requirement, though a judge ruled in May that the policy may be waived for Virginians concerned for their safety amid COVID-19.