More than 375,000 ballots have been accepted in Minnesota’s early-voting window ahead of next Tuesday’s election. If you still have possession of your absentee ballot, a top state official says careful planning is needed to get it in.
Steve Simon, Secretary of State, says absentee ballots must arrive no later than Election Day. He suggests a mail delivery period of at least one week will ensure the deadline is met but with the time frame shrinking, he suggests this strategy.
“Just in an abundance of caution, our advice is that at this point [it’s] probably best to just hand-deliver it to your local elections office,” says Simon.
There is still time to vote early in person, which ends on Monday, with extended hours at county elections offices this Saturday. As for Election Day, most polling places will be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Nationally, there’s been heightened concern about political violence following the attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband. Simon explains in Minnesota, they have no indication anything on that level is imminent, but they remain vigilant.
“We’re always on the lookout for any threats or intimidation directly to either voters or at elections administrators,” Simon emphasized. “Whether those are the permanent folks who help run elections in counties or cities or whether it’s the election judges who serve on Election Day.”
In other states, there have been reports of armed individuals taking it upon themselves to “monitor” drop-box sites. Simon notes Minnesota has laws about polling-place access and conduct designed to thwart such activity.
(Story filed by Mike Moen/Minnesota News Connection)
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