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How do election workers match signatures? (2020)
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All states require voters to provide valid signatures on their absentee/mail-in ballot return documents. Thirty-two of these require election workers to match a voter's signature on ballot return documents with the signature on record for that voter. Election workers do this using a variety of handwriting analysis techniques.
Signature matching methods
Election workers may analyze the following aspects of a voter's handwriting in order to compare and verify signatures:
- Slant: Signatures from the same voter's hand should be slanted, or angled, in the same way. For example, if a voter's registration record signature includes letters that slant noticeably to the right, an election worker might look for the same slant in the voter's ballot return paperwork signature.
- Size and proportion of letters: When comparing signatures, an observer would expect the letters in each to be approximately the same size and share the same rough proportions to other letters. If, for example, one signature features a capital "A" that is noticeably larger than the capital "A" in the signature against which it is being compared, it might be determined that the two do not match.
- Shape of letters: Individual letters in signatures from the same voter's hand should share the same shape. For example, if the capital "A" in one signature is written in block letters and the "A" in another is written in traditional script, an election worker might determine that the two do not match.
- Ending strokes: Some signatures feature long ending strokes. If one signature features a long ending stroke and the other doesn't, they may not have come from the same hand.
- Speed of writing: A signature lacking fluidity, that appears halting, might suggest that the individual signing it was writing slowly in an attempt to replicate someone else's signature.
- Pen lifts: If someone is attempting to replicate someone else's signature, there might be observable pen lifts (i.e., marks indicating that the pen was lifted from the paper) in the forged signature.
Signature matching requirements by state
All 50 states require a valid signature for an absentee/mail-in ballot to be counted. According to The New York Times, 32 states use the signature provided with a voter's absentee/mail-in ballot to verify his or her identity by comparing it with the signature on file (e.g., the signature on a driver's license or voter registration application). Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia practice signature matching and allow voters to remedy mismatches. Another four states practice signature matching, but do not allow voters to remedy mismatches. Eighteen states either do not have signature matching laws or do not practice signature matching on a regular basis.[1]
Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, told The New York Times that signature matching "is the best way to strike a balance between security, transparency, and accessibility for voters" when done properly, including a process to fix signature mismatches. Mark Gaber, the director of trial litigation at the Campaign Legal Center, said that signature matching was problematic, with courts having found "that there's a high risk of wrongly being identified as not having signed your ballot."[1]
The map below identifies the states that use signature matching and allow for remedying mismatches, those that use signature matching and do not allow for remedying mismatches, and those that do not use signature matching.
The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions.
More frequently asked questions about the 2020 election
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- General election information
- Who runs elections in the United States?
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- What methods do states use to prevent election fraud?
- Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot?
- What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil?
- What is a spoiled ballot?
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- Presidential election
- What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
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- Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
- What is the life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot?
- What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date?
- What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person?
- How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
- How do election workers match signatures?
- Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?
- Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night?
- Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
- What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day?
- Disputing election results
- How will election recounts work?
- How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount?
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- Who pays for recounts and contested elections?
- What are poll watchers?
- What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it?
- What is a redo election?
- Who can file election-related lawsuits?
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- Transitions of power and taking office
- Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021?
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- Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?
- What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office?
- Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election
- U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election
See also
Related articles
- The New York Times, "Two of These Mail Ballot Signatures Are by the Same Person. Which Ones?" October 7, 2020
- National Conference of State Legislatures, "States That Permit Voters to Correct Signature Discrepancies," September 21, 2020
- Campaign Legal Center, "Signature Matching and Absentee Ballots: Safeguards to Ensure That Every Vote Counts," September 16, 2020
- The Washington Post, "How to prevent your mail ballot from being rejected," August 25, 2020
Footnotes
