Arkansas’ ‘Wet’ Signature Rule for Voters Blocked by Eighth Cir.

Arkansas is barred from enforcing a rule requiring voters to provide a handwritten signature on registration applications, a split federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

There’s no evidence that Arkansas election officials use that type of signature on registration forms to confirm an applicant’s identity or determine whether they’re qualified to vote, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said.

The record shows county clerks don’t analyze handwritten signatures in an effort to detect fraud, and even if they did, “the law allows a voter to register without signature by making a simple mark such as an ‘X’ ...