Which scenario is disqualifying due to impartiality concerns?

• A. The notary is a signer of the document
• B. The notary is out of state on vacation
• C. The notary is allowed to notarize for immediate family
• D. The notary is not allowed to notarize a real property document

Answer: (A)

Impartiality means the notary must act as a neutral witness, with no personal stake in the document's outcome. When the notary is a signer of the document, they have a direct personal interest in what the document says or does, which breaks that neutrality. That conflict makes the notary’s participation disqualifying because they cannot attest to the signing objectively.

The other scenarios don’t create that same conflict. Being out of state is a logistical issue—if the notary can’t be present where the act is done, they simply can’t perform the notarization at that time. Notarizing for immediate family can be permitted in many situations as long as there’s no other financial or direct interest involved. Not being allowed to notarize a real property document isn’t, by itself, an impartiality issue; it would depend on whether there’s a personal stake or conflict. The key idea is that having a personal stake as a signer directly undermines neutrality.