The Republican Party stated in its submission to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who will consider the request, that the pandemic will not prevent voters from getting signatures from others.
“Rhode Island gives voters nearly a month to find two witnesses or one notary. That task is not uncommonly difficult – certainly no more difficult than getting a photo ID,” the party’s statement said.
“Witnesses can be family, friends, colleagues, congressmen, teachers, waiters, bartenders, gymgoers, neighbors, grocers, and more. And every bank, credit union, UPS, and FedEx has a notary.”
Republicans have asked the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s decision by Wednesday, as Rhode Island on Thursday will begin missing votes for its primary in September to residents.
The dispute over the claims of witnesses stemmed from a lawsuit filed by liberal groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters.
“This lawsuit should have ended two weeks ago when the state of Rhode Island agreed to eliminate witness / notary requirements,” said John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, which blew up the Republican Party for intervention in the lawsuit and try to undo the agreement.
The lawsuit is the latest flashpoint in a nationwide legal battle over voting rights this year. Both parties have hired healthy election attorneys and set aside tens of millions of dollars for the fight, which is already taking place in battlefield states such as Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Some Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have rails against voting via mail-in, falsely claiming it will lead to massive election fraud. Democrats, meanwhile, have tried to extend access to voting via email as the coronavirus pandemic takes root, saying the option will allow Americans to go to polling stations where infection can spread.
Their efforts include pressure in various states for policies, such as improved signatures, requirements for people to submit an application before they get a vote, and limited to when and where post-in-votes will be counted – things that Election experts have said that could lead to fewer votes being counted from groups that support Democracy.
There is widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, and non-partisan experts say no party will automatically benefit if states extend access to mail-in-vote.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Devan Cole, Joe Sutton, Pamela Brown, Sarah Westwood and Kristen Holmes have contributed to this report.
.
