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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

Despite push, absentee ballots lag 2010

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The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office says the number of absentee ballots returned and accepted this year continues to lag the number of ballots cast at the same time four years ago.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie issued a news release today saying 15,883 absentee ballots have been returned and accepted compared to 20,919 in 2010.

The lagging numbers come despite a change in the law that allows Minnesotans to vote early without an excuse. The law, which passed in 2013, was hailed as a way to give voters greater access to the polls.

Ritchie downplayed the drop in numbers by saying every election is different. He said it’s more about giving voters greater access to the polls.

“It’s kind of hard to say how many we’ll end up with," Ritchie said. "But what we know is that the citizens really really appreciate that the Legislature took this step and they’re putting it to work.”

The Republican Party of Minnesota and the four major Republican candidates for governor have been pushing absentee voting as a way to lock votes in early before Tuesday's primary. Republican Party Chair Keith Downey said it isn't fair to compare the figures from this year's primary to the figures from the 2010 DFL primary.

"I think 2010 was a unique year on the Democratic side with two extremely well funded statewide candidates with massive grassroots organizations out in the field in advance of the primary," Downey said. "I'll think you'll see a much larger push in the general election."

There are several competitive primaries this year which include legislative contests from both parties, Republicans choosing a nominee for governor and a DFL contest for State Auditor.

MPR's Catharine Richert contributed to this report.