Minnesota’s current permanent absentee list is not what we would consider a true permanent absentee option, as voters are only sent applications, not ballots, for each election. This increases barriers to the ballot box and increases paperwork (and cost!) for both the voter and the localities. Switching to a true permanent option would increase voter access and save the state significant expense by cutting down on the requests they need to process, with localities saving an average of $1 for every request they no longer need to process.

Minnesota’s existing signature verification procedures already ensure sure that the ballots received are being filled out by the individuals they were sent to. From an election security standpoint, witness requirements are far less secure than signature verification. We recommend the state maintain its 2020 policy of requiring only a signature, not a witness.

Minnesota can increase voter confidence by allowing voters to track their ballot much like an Amazon package by improving its current ballot tracking system. Advanced ballot tracking systems can proactively notify voters when their ballot takes a new step in the path from being sent to them to finally being counted (or rejected). If a ballot is rejected, these ballot tracking tools can be used as another method to contact voters if there is a signature mismatch or deficiency on their return envelope.

After the recent ruling came down that existing law doesn’t allow the state to count postmarked ballots for regular voters, we recommend Minnesota pass legislation to extend postmark acceptance to all types of voters, not just military and overseas voters. Accepting ballots with Election Day postmarks shortly after election day is a best practice to ensure that voters are given all options to vote their ballot in a timely manner, as it is estimated in most jurisdictions to decrease ballot rejection rates by half.

With a drastic increase in mail ballots, Minnesota has a great opportunity to reach for the gold standard of post-election security by implementing risk limiting audits. Further, Minnesota’s data infrastructure could be improved by implementing automatic voter registration, which, in conjunction with the state’s existing same day voter registration, would ensure that any eligible resident who wants to cast a ballot in an election can.

We highly recommend creating vote centers, or polling locations where any voter in the county can vote. This is a way to streamline the system so over time, as the share of the vote cast by mail increases, counties can have fewer overall polling locations, while individual voters will have more voting location options. Additionally, we recommend including provisions to allow for ballots to be received at polling and vote centers, as well as other locations deemed necessary by the clerk, as a low cost way to increase return options.

Current law only allows voters to cure any fixable issues with their ballots before election day, leaving out any voters whose ballots haven’t been processed by then so they have no chance to ensure their ballots aren’t needlessly rejected. Extending the amount of time voters have to cure issues with their ballot envelopes would reduce rejection rates, and we recommend allowing cures for at least 5 days after election and implementing a Text2Cure system that allows voters to cure their ballots from their phones.