Appeals court strikes down South Carolina’s age-based mail voting rule

A federal appeals court ruled that South Carolina’s law giving voters 65 and older unrestricted access to mail-in ballots discriminates against younger voters. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the age-based difference violates the 26th Amendment.

The case returns to a lower court to determine whether the state must expand no-excuse mail voting to everyone or eliminate the exception. South Carolina can still seek review by the full appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling is unlikely to affect the Nov. 3 general election because of the legal timeline and rules against changing voting procedures close to an election. More than 100,000 South Carolinians voted absentee in the 2024 general election.

Read the full story at postandcourier.com.