DOJ sides with South Carolina's absentee ballot witness requirements

The Justice Department on Monday filed a Statement of Interest asserting that South Carolina's witness requirement for absentee ballots does not violate Section 201 of the Voting Rights Act.

The filing in a South Carolina federal court also notes that the court does not qualify to handle claims relating to Section 201 of the Voting Rights Act because a three-judge federal district court is required to hear such matters.

The Justice Department noted that if the court agreed with the plaintiff's claims regarding Section 201 and completely blocked South Carolina's witness requirement for absentee ballots, that decision would seem to ban such measures in other states as well.

The department noted that it did not stake out a view regarding any of the private plaintiffs' other claims in the case. 

"The Voting Rights Act outlaws certain practices that deprive Americans of the right to vote because of race and other protected traits," Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division said. "The Voting Rights Act does not outlaw all voting-related requirements enacted by the States."