2020 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
2016 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed out ballots
0
%
State election policies as of 2022...
Full Vote-at-Home
0/10
Full Vote-at-Home
Voter automatically mailed ballot for every election
No Excuse Required
6/6
No Excuse Required
No excuse to vote from home
Single Sign-Up
6/6
Single Sign-Up
Voter signs up once to receive mail ballot for all future elections
Local Vote-at-Home Option
2/5
Local VAH Option
Local governments have discretion to conduct full vote-at-home elections
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
2/2
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
Voter can apply for mail ballot online
Ballot Tracking
1/4
Ballot Tracking
Voter can receive ballot status notifications.
In-Person Ballot Return
4/5
In-Person Ballot Return
Voter has multiple options to return mail ballot in person
Signature Verification
0/4
Signature Verification
Voter signature verified before ballot is counted
Ballot Cure Process
2/4
Ballot Cure Process
Voter can correct issues so ballot can be counted
Prepaid Postage
4/4
Prepaid Postage
Postage-paid return envelopes provided
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
0/4
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted
In-Person Voting
4/4
In-Person Return
Physical locations for voters to vote and receive assistance
Pre-Processing
3/3
Signature Verification
Ballots are verified and scanned before Election Day
Mail Ballot Applications
2/2
Mail Ballot Applications
Election officials can mail ballot applications to all voters eligible to vote from home
Ballot Return Assistance
2/2
Ballot Return Assistance
Voters may receive assistance to return their mail ballot
Last Updated
Opportunities
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.
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.
Recent Legislation
As of August 18, 2021
In 2020, many bills were introduced to make changes to adjust to the pandemic, but none passed. As part of a court settlement, Minnesota temporarily waived its witness requirement for absentee ballots, relying on signature matching to verify ballots. Minnesota tried to do as it has for military and overseas voters for years by allowing ballots postmarked as sent by election day that arrive a few days late to still be counted, but after a long court battle a federal judge ruled it could not. Finally, Governor Walz signed an executive order to allow co-ops to vote absentee for the pandemic. The only bill relating to mail voting passed was SF2, which codified into law allowing local election officails to create drop boxes.