Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announces absentee balloting period

The absentee voting period for the state primary election, which began June 29, will end August 13.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie reminds voters to use the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State’s online tool to check the status of their absentee ballots.

“We anticipate that almost 300,000 Minnesotans will vote by absentee ballot this election,” said Ritchie. “Having the option of casting an absentee ballot is important – especially for our military personnel who are serving overseas.”

Minnesota voters may only vote absentee for one of the following reasons: absence from the precinct, observance of religious discipline or holiday, illness or disability, serving as an election judge in another precinct, or when an emergency is declared by the governor or quarantine is declared by the federal or state government.

The absentee ballot lookup site allows voters to track where their ballot is in the process and when it has been successfully counted. In addition, helpful links

to additional voter resources are

also provided.

The absentee ballot lookup can be accessed at www.mnvotes.org.

To login to the absentee ballot lookup, provide the following information:

First and last name (name must match voter’s name entered on the absentee ballot application or voter registration).

Complete date of birth.

The identification number the voter used on the absentee ballot application.

To ensure the absentee ballots are successfully cast and counted, voters must follow the instructions and fill out the required forms completely.

Voters may visit their county auditor’s office or, in some cases, their city clerk’s office to vote in-person absentee.

To get absentee voting forms or additional information, visit www.mnvotes.org. Military and overseas voters have different absentee balloting procedures. Information is available for these voters at Minnesota.overseasvotefoundation.org.

Tags: local news, state news, news, absentee, ballots