Alaska absentee witness requirements scrapped for election

By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling eliminating witness requirements for absentee ballots for the general election. The decision came shortly after the state Supreme Court heard arguments in the case. Last week, a Superior Court judge ruled enforcement of the requirements during the pandemic “impermissibly” burdened the right to vote, but waited to put the order into effect, to allow the Supreme Court to weigh in. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued the witness requirement was unconstitutional during the pandemic. Election officials say more than 110,000 absentee ballots have been sent to voters who requested them, with nearly 11,000 already returned.