MINNEAPOLIS – The ACLU of Minnesota released the following statement regarding a federal court ruling Thursday on absentee ballots. The court ruled that officials must segregate ballots received after 8 p.m. Election Day – even if the ballots were postmarked on time.
This ruling affects nearly 400,000 voters who had requested absentee ballots, but not returned them yet.
The ACLU of Minnesota issues this statement by Executive Director John Gordon:
“The ACLU of Minnesota believes that public officials should make it easier to vote, not harder. We are disappointed by Thursday’s last-minute ruling, which means that mailed absentee votes received after 8 p.m. Election Day are unlikely to be counted – even though voters sent in their ballots in full reliance on official elections instructions.
We urge voters to drop their absentee ballot off in person, not to mail it. And if anyone recently mailed a ballot, you can monitor its progress at the Secretary of State’s website to see if the ballot has arrived. If it hasn’t arrived by Election Day, please be prepared to vote in person.
Together, we can ensure that every vote counts, and every vote is counted.”
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