With future of COVID-19 uncertain, Minn. officials begin planning for pandemic-era voting
ST. PAUL — As health officials warn the country that the COVID-19 pandemic could last for months and see a resurgence this autumn, Minnesota state officials are floating the idea of mail-in ballots should the pandemic remain a threat through election time.
Days after voters in neighboring Wisconsin donned in face masks and stood in lengthy lines to cast their ballots for Tuesday's primary, Minnesota state legislators on Thursday, April 9 proposed a plan allowing all Minnesota registered voters to automatically vote by mail with prepaid postage, and to expand early voting and registration for upcoming elections.
The proposal, spearheaded by Minnesota Democrats Rep. Jamie Long, D-Minneapolis and Sen. Nick Frentz, D-North Mankato, comes on the heels of Secretary of State Steve Simon's similar proposal to legislators on Wednesday. Long and Frentz on a Thursday conference call were joined by Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, who said Minnesotans will likely still be in the thick of COVID-19 mitigation when August primaries and November's general election roll around.
"We have to begin preparing for that fact so our state does not suffer the same fate as Wisconsin," Martin said on Thursday's call. "If action is not going to be taken on the federal level, Minnesota needs to step up and lead the way."
Mail-in ballot proposals have been floated in Congress, as well, but have been met with scrutiny by Republicans, who argue that mailed paper ballots could be manipulated, and that in-person voting remains the most secure method. President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday that mail-in ballots pose "tremendous potential for voter fraud" and that "Republicans should fight very hard" against such proposals.
https://www.inforum.com/news/government-and-politics/5037064-With-future-of-COVID-19-uncertain-Minn.-officials-begin-planning-for-pandemic-era-voting
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