A notary public is disqualified from performing a notarial act if:

• A. The notary is a signer of the document
• B. The notary is a resident of another state
• C. The notary's term has expired
• D. The notary cannot locate the signer

Answer: (A)

Notaries must perform acts impartially, without having a personal stake in the document they’re witnessing. If the notary is a signer of the instrument, there is a direct conflict of interest: the notary’s involvement as a party means they cannot provide an objective, neutral certification of the signature. The role of a notary is to verify identity and witness signatures from an unbiased position, not to participate in the transaction itself. Because of this conflict, a notary who is a signer is disqualified from performing the notarial act. Other issues like residency or whether the signer can be located are procedural hurdles, but they don’t inherently compromise the notary’s impartiality in the same fundamental way.