Minnesota SOS: Too Late to Mail Ballots — but Not to Vote

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s secretary of state said Thursday it’s too late for voters to mail back their absentee ballots if they want to make sure their votes count after an appeals court ruling indicated that mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day are at risk of being invalidated.

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Minnesota absentee ballots arriving after Election Day should be separated from other ballots in case they are later invalidated by a final court order. The ruling doesn’t block Minnesota’s seven-day extension for counting absentee ballots outright but puts the grace period in danger.

“Voters should no longer place their absentee ballots in the mail,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said. “It is too late for you, practically speaking, to get it back. Don’t risk it.”

The ruling doesn’t impact ballots received by the time polls close on Election Day but sets the stage for post-election litigation. The case was sent back to a lower court for more proceedings.

“What the court left unsettled was the question of whether, once and for all and finally, ballots will or won’t be counted if received after Tuesday, Nov. 3,” Simon said. “The decision, to be candid, is not a model of clarity and it leaves open a lot of unanswered questions.”

The decision is likely to create voter confusion, with people who haven’t returned their absentee ballots scrambling to make sure their votes count. Simon said voters who still have absentee ballots in hand may drop them off at a designated location, vote early at an early voting station, or vote in person on Election Day. Those who already returned absentee ballots can track them online to see if they’ve been received.

As of Friday, if you have an absentee ballot still at home do not use the mail to return your absentee ballot.

Instead, you must drop off your ballot by hand to an election office or official dropbox by 3:00 p.m. on November 3.

Ballots cannot be returned to polling locations on Election Day.

Duluth City Hall ballot drop box locations:

• In-Person: Dropbox located inside Priley Circle entrance of City Hall during Early Voting hours only
• Drive-Up 24/7: Dropbox located behind City Hall off 2nd Street. One-Way parking lot

 Vote early in person at City Hall

• Extended hours for early voting:
• Friday, October 30, 2020 – Saturday, October 31, 2020 (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Monday, November 2, 2020 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
• Monday, November 2, 2020, is the last day (by 5:00 p.m.) to vote early in person

Vote in person on Election Day at your polling precinct

• To find your polling location, visit: mnvotes.org or myvote.wi.gov. 
• Polls are open on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 beginning at 7:00 am and closing at 8:00 pm
• If you are in line at your polling location at or before 8:00 pm, you will be allowed to vote