More misleading info from Kiffmeyer's office

[dflprincess]

I received this in an email today:

More misleading information from the Secretary of State's office, this time evidently in an effort to discourage absentee voting:

The Secretary of State's website now features a prominently highlighted box, in boldfaced, oversize type, which says:
"Note: The easiest way to vote by absentee ballot is to do so in person, at your county auditor or city or township clerk's office, up to 30 days prior to Election Day." See http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election/AbsenteeVoting.htm.

What that webpage doesn't tell you is that there is nothing magic about "30 days prior to Election Day" -- as far as I can tell, it is a purely arbitrary date. In fact, by law,

* "An eligible voter may vote by absentee ballot during the 30 days before the election in the office of the county auditor and at any other polling place designated by the county auditor," Minn. Stat. § 203B.081 (http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/203B/081.html); and

* "The county auditor's office in each county must be open for acceptance of absentee ballot applications and casting of absentee ballots from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and until 5:00 p.m. on Monday immediately preceding a primary, special, or general election," Minn. Stat. § 203B.085 (http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/203B/085.html).

Any otherwise eligible voter is entitled to vote by absentee ballot if he or she "reasonably expects to be unable to go to the polling place on election day in the precinct where the individual maintains residence because of absence from the precinct, illness, disability, religious discipline, observance of a religious holiday, or service as an election judge in another precinct." Minn. Stat. § 203B.02, subd. 1. Don't let the Secretary of State fool anyone into thinking that they have missed their chance to vote.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Is there an LTTE coming on?

:-)

[dpbrown]

2. Inartfully written

But when I read it, it seems to say, counting backwards, one can vote from "zero" days prior to the election, up to "30" days prior to the election. That seems to comport with the statutes you've cited.

Can one vote absentee "more" than 30 days prior to the election?

DPB

[Randomthought]

3. Not without a ballot

The application to request an absentee ballot can be turned in anytime. I've turned in a bunch of them for people. The ballot itself is mailed to the voter about 30 days before the election.