BNB Note:
Below, is a guest editorial from Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (D). Simon has served as Secretary of State since 2014 and is seeking a third term this November.
Minnesota consistently leads the nation in voter turnout. There are a lot of reasons for that, from our strong civic culture to the many options we give voters to register and cast their ballots.
One of the defining features of Minnesota elections is that voters have choices. Whether by mail, in-person before Election Day, or on Election Day itself, Minnesota law provides multiple ways for eligible voters to cast their ballot.
Our mail voting system has faced intense scrutiny from the Trump Administration this year. Minnesotans deserve the facts about how our system works and the safeguards in place to ensure every eligible ballot is secure and counted accurately.
Here is the truth: voting by mail is safe, secure, and popular in Minnesota.
Minnesota law has allowed voters to cast ballots by mail since 1862. Today, hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans, and millions of Americans, use this option to vote.
Voters can request an absentee ballot, complete it at home, and return it by mail or by hand-delivery at authorized drop-off location. The process includes multiple safeguards designed to ensure that only eligible voters’ ballots are counted and that each voter casts only one ballot.
The process starts with our absentee ballot application process. Before a ballot is issued, election officials verify information provided by the voter. When the completed ballot is returned, election officials again verify the ballot before it can be counted.
Minnesota also uses signature requirements as part of the absentee ballot process. A voter needs to sign the envelope accompanying the completed absentee ballot, and a witness must sign, as well.
These safeguards continue when a ballot is placed in the mail. Election officials follow strict procedures for tracking, receiving, securing, and processing absentee ballots. Ballots are kept under established chain-of-custody and election workers operate under rules designed to prevent unauthorized access or interference.
Minnesota also has safeguards against someone voting twice. Election officials maintain accurate voter records and use those records to identify ballots that should not be counted because a voter has already cast another ballot.
The most important safeguard is that Minnesota’s elections are administered locally by trained election officials from every community in the state who are required to follow the law. We know who runs our elections: our neighbors.
Despite numerous safeguards, the Trump Administration has repeatedly called for a limit or ban on mail voting, often while spreading false claims about the security of voting by mail.
Misinformation about voting by mail is an attack on our elections. The facts are clear: voting by mail is a safe, secure way to cast your ballot in Minnesota.
If you’re planning to vote by mail, request your absentee ballot as soon as possible. With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, we recommend hand delivering your ballot to your local elections office.
You can find more information here: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/return-your-ballot/