A new law in Minnesota that went into effect on June 1st allows all voters to permanently vote via absentee ballot.

“Starting June 1, 2024, voters can sign up once to be mailed an absentee ballot for every election,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office announced.

“On June 1, 2024, new election laws will take effect in Minnesota that make it easier to vote from home with a no-excuse absentee ballot and improve election integrity,” the announcement added.

From Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office:

Starting June 1, 2024, Minnesota voters can sign up once to be automatically sent an absentee ballot before every election. All eligible voters can choose to join the permanent absentee voter list by checking the box on the interactive voter registration application. The online and paper applications can be found at mnvotes.gov/register.

An absentee ballot allows a voter to vote by mail in the 46 days before an election. Since 2014, no excuse absentee voting has been available to all Minnesota voters and that permission extends to the permanent absentee list. No reason needs to be provided to receive an absentee ballot.

The option to vote absentee for an individual election or a series of them is still available to Minnesota voters by completing an absentee ballot application at mnvotes.gov/absentee.

Voters can choose to leave the permanent absentee voter list by written request to their county elections office. Voters will be removed from the list if an absentee ballot is returned as undeliverable, if the county receives notice of their death, or if their voter status changes to “challenged” or “inactive.”

“Minnesota joined eight other states and Washington, D.C. to allow all voters, irrespective of disability status or age, to register online to permanently vote absentee,” The Center Square noted.

The Center Square reports:

Residents can apply at mnvotes.gov/register. Those who wish to apply for absentee for only one election at a time can visit the same website. Ballots will still not count if received after election day, whether by mail, at a dropoff location or at the elections office.

In addition to the new absentee rules, Minnesota residents can also now provide a description of their residence if they don’t have a specific address. This can include cardinal directions or distance from the closest crossroads. Twenty other states feature this on their voter registration forms, as does the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

 

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