In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry that their absentee ballot won’t arrive on time. Experts say there is no reason to panic because there are solutions. They also highlight safeguards to keep fraud under control.
In Minnesota, mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day or they will not be counted. If you simply mail yours, Michelle Witte of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota says you can check your status online. If there’s real concern that it won’t arrive on Tuesday, he says you can go to your local elections office to sort things out.
“If something happened or he got lost or whatever, they could let him vote in person and not accept the absentee ballot,” Witte emphasized.
She says the system has enough knowledge to not allow someone to accidentally vote twice. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump continues to make false claims about election fraud. Election analysts say it is very rare and not enough to affect the results.
Witte points to a Minnesota case this fall, where a woman was accused of filling out her deceased mother’s ballot in support of Trump, as evidence that these offices can quickly detect suspicious behavior and address it.
Witte adds that in the broader debate about election integrity, it’s important to remember that administrators have key information at their fingertips.
“The Secretary of State’s Office receives periodic reports from Social Security, DHS, from all those federal and state sources that track whether people died, but also from immigration and citizenship,” the interviewee also insisted.
Witte argues that the information exchange also works in conjunction with Minnesota’s new Driver’s Licenses for All program, where all residents of the state can apply for such a license regardless of their immigration status. She emphasizes that she will not allow an undocumented person to vote, even if they have this form of identification. As for tracking ballots, that online tool appears on the Minnesota Secretary of State‘s website.
Support for this story was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York
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Political rallies and large-scale “get out the vote” events might conjure images of a packed arena in a major city but in states like North Dakota, groups connecting with Indigenous voters are bridging key messaging with entertainment.
This week, several hundred people packed a venue at the Spirit Lake Casino in St. Michael, where they were treated to a mix of popular music from well-known regional acts like Scotti Clifford to traditional drum music. It was all part of the “Snag the Vote” tour moving through the region.
Kirstin Cavanaugh, vice chair of the group North Dakota Native Vote, said between the guitar solos and singing was a reminder to participate in the election.
“We’re working on getting that information for the voters to just basically have their voices heard,” Cavanaugh explained.
In the 2018 midterms, North Dakota saw a surge in voter turnout in Indian Country after the state adopted a new restrictive Voter ID law, adding to long-standing barriers for people living on reservations. Rallies back then also featured big-name entertainers. The turnout regressed in 2020, with the effects of COVID-19.
Voters are often encouraged to pay attention to local races and not devote all their time to monitoring federal elections. But Cavanaugh acknowledged they sometimes have to reverse the order when reaching out to tribal populations, reminding them the race for the White House affects them, too.
“It’s just been eye-opening for people where they’re starting to be like, ‘OK, yes, I want to be involved, I need to be involved with this,'” Cavanaugh observed.
At this week’s outreach event, organizers gathered more than 250 “pledge to vote” commitments. Cavanaugh added while their efforts are vital just before an election, North Dakota Native Vote works year-round.
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In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry their absentee ballot won’t arrive in time. Experts say there’s no cause for panic because there are solutions.
They also highlight safeguards for keeping fraud in check. In Minnesota, ballots sent by mail must be received by Election Day or they won’t be counted.
If you just put yours in the mailbox, Michelle Witte, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesotasaid you can check its status online. If there’s real concern it won’t arrive by Tuesday, she said, you can go to your local election office to sort things out.
“If something happened and it got lost or whatever,” she said, “they could let you vote in person and not accept the absentee ballot.”
She said the system has enough awareness to not accidentally let someone vote twice. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump continues to make false claims about voter fraud. Election analysts say it’s very rare, and not enough to affect outcomes.
Witte pointed to a Minnesota case this fall in which a woman was charged with filling out her deceased mother’s ballot in support of Trump as proof that these offices can quickly detect suspicious behavior and address it.
In the broader debate over election integrity, Witte said, it’s important to remember that administrators have key information at their fingertips.
“The Secretary of State’s Office is getting regular reports from Social Security, from DHS, from all those federal and state sources that track if people died,” she said, “but also immigration and citizenship.”
Witte said information sharing also works in tandem with Minnesota’s new Driver’s Licenses for All programwhere all state residents can apply for such a license regardless of their immigration status. She stressed it will not allow an undocumented individual to vote, even if they have this form of ID.
As for ballot tracking, that online tool is featured on Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s website.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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