Important Absentee Ballot Update!

MnRA has been working in parternership with the Minnesota Secretary of State to communucate voting options in this unsual pandemic election. Below is an edited version of what the Secretary of State's Office communicated to us relative to recomneded changes for those submitting an absentee ballot.  Please share with your neighbors, customers annd employees! Let's make sure every vote counts.

Yesterday's  U.S. 8^th Circuit Appeals Court reversed the consent decree of the Ramsey County Court which established the extension (postmarked by 11/3; received by 11/10) for returning an absentee ballot (AB) by mail.  It is incredibly important that everyone hear of this change, and their options if they have mailed back their AB or are planning to.  The voter makes the decision, but if they are concerned about their vote arriving in time to be counted, please share the following:

• · ALL ballots must be returned to the county elections office by Tuesday, November 3. 
• · Deadline to drop it off in person is 3 p.m.; deadline for mail or delivery service is 8 p.m.
• · Ballots arriving after November 3-regardless of the postmark- will not be counted.
  
  
• · Make a plan:
  1. ABs already accepted by the counties are fine, and no action need be taken.
  2. If a voter has mailed back their AB but they have not confirmed its receipt and acceptance:
     • Confirm the status of the ballot
       • Use the tracker on our website: https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AbsenteeBallotStatus.aspx, or
       • Contact the county elections office (or city if the city runs ABs, e.g. Minneapolis) to ask for the status of their AB:  https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/find-county-election-office/
     • If the ballot has been accepted, no further action is needed
     • If the ballot has not been accepted, vote in person:
       • Vote early in person at the county Elections Office or an early voting site the voter is eligible to use: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/cities-and-towns-with-in-person-absentee-voting/ or
       • Vote on November 3 at the voter’s polling place: https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

NOTE: The system will not allow a voter to vote twice.  When voting early in person, the site will confirm the voter is eligible to vote early (has not turned in a ballot already), and at the polling place, the roster will reflect if the voter has had an AB accepted already.  For ABs received on Election Day, the county will contact the polling place to confirm that the voter has not voted in person, accept the AB, and instruct the Roster Judge to mark an AB next to the voter’s name (or update the E-Poll Book).

3. If a voter has their AB which was mailed to them or had been previously picked up:

• • ADVISE THEY DO NOT MAIL THE AB BACK.  While it is the voter’s right to return the AB by mail, there is no way to guarantee that the mailed AB will arrive by 11/3.
  • Assuming that the voter is eligible to use the location, any AB may be returned at a drop box, early voting location, or county Elections Office.  (Again, make sure the voter is eligible to use that location.  County Elections Offices are open for drop-offs for all residents of the county.)  https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/cities-and-towns-with-in-person-absentee-voting/  (This list was updated with additional sites and drop-off locations on Tuesday, 10/27.)
  • Minnesota law allows a person to drop off up to three ballots for others during an election (not per trip or per day) in person, but not using a drop box (unless the drop box has someone there to track users).  The person dropping off ballots will need to show identification and identify whose ballots they are turning in.