If you have not already done so, do not send your ballot in the mail! It will not arrive in time for it to be counted.
In a ruling issued yesterday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that absentee ballots arriving after Election Day will be separated and potentially removed from the final vote totals, depending on future court rulings.
Meaning, ballots must now be returned to the county elections office by Tuesday, November 3. Prior to the ruling, ballots would be accepted via mail as long as they were postmarked by November 3. This will no longer be the case. Ballots arriving after November 3–regardless of the postmark–will not be counted.
“What should I do?”
If you’ve already mailed your ballot, make sure to confirm the status of your ballot. If it’s been accepted, there is nothing else you need to do and your vote will be counted. If your ballot has not been accepted or you have not returned your ballot or voted yet, you have three options:
- If you have an absentee ballot ready, you can drop it off in person by 3 p.m. on November 3 at your county elections office. You cannot drop your ballot off at your polling place.
- Vote early in person at an early voting location. (The last day to vote early in person is November 2.)
- Vote in person on Election Day. Find your polling place.
Early voting locations must be open the last Saturday before Election Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the last day before Election Day until 5 p.m. Some counties may provide additional voting days or hours beyond the dates and times required. Find your county election office’s contact information or find early voting locations’ contact information to call for additional voting days and hours.
If you are unsure if your ballot has been counted, you can still go to an early voting location or your polling place on Election Day. Staff will be able to determine whether your vote has been counted or not. The system will not allow a voter to vote twice.*
“I can’t vote in person or return my ballot in person. What should I do?”
Ask a friend, family member, or neighbor if they can return your ballot for you. Minnesota law allows a person to drop off up to three ballots for others during an election. The person dropping off ballots must show identification and identify whose ballots they are turning in.
* The system will not allow a voter to vote twice. When voting early in person, the site will confirm if you’re eligible to vote early (have not turned in a ballot already). At the polling place, the roster will reflect if the voter has had an absentee ballot accepted already. For absentee ballots received on Election Day, the county will contact the polling place to confirm that the voter has not voted in person, accept the absentee ballot, and instruct the roster judge to mark an ‘AB’ next to the voter’s name (or update the E-Poll Book).
Please share this email with your friends and family to ensure that Minnesota voters will have their voices heard this election.
