The Supreme Court has reinstated a requirement that South Carolina residents voting by mail in November's election get a witness to sign their ballots.
Democrats had sought to have the requirement put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Republicans had defended it as deterring fraud.
While the high court reinstated the requirement as a lawsuit over it proceeds, voters have already started returning ballots.
The court says that any ballots cast before the court's action Monday evening "and received within two days of this order may not be rejected for failing to comply with the witness requirement."
A statement released on Monday night from the South Carolina Republican Party States that:
This evening the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously granted a stay to the U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit ruling, reinstating the witness signature requirement. See below for SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick's full statement on the U.S Supreme Court's motion:
"Despite the Democrats' efforts to hijack a pandemic and use it to meddle with our election laws, they've lost," said SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick. "We're pleased the Supreme Court reinstated the witness signature requirement and recognized its importance in helping to prevent election fraud. We were willing to go all the way to the highest court in the land, and it’s a great day for those who care about the security and integrity of our elections.”
The S.C. Republican Party successfully intervened in two federal cases brought against the S.C. Election Commission and has maintained the Republican defense on behalf of S.C.’s existing election laws.
