This Thursday, Minnesota’s 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of separating mailed in absentee ballots that are received after 8 p.m. on Election Day. Now, Minnesota voters are left wondering if their vote will be counted.
What We Know:
- This motion is set to eliminate a week-long timeframe initially created by the Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon, that would allow for mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted and processed.
- The court’s 2-1 ruling found the Minnesota secretary of state’s compromise to allow late mail-in ballots to be a direct violation of state law. The law states that all ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on the day of the election in order to be counted.
- This court decision is a part of a nation-wide movement by the Republican Party to block voter expansion deadlines amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to those in favor of the decision, late ballots will be segregated until further rulings determine if they are lawfully valid or should be tossed.
- Officials are now urging voters to stop mailing in absentee ballots and proceed to vote in person or deliver their absentee ballots directly at a drop-off location.
After the court’s ruling was made, Secretary of State Steve Simon argued against the decision stating, “The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an unnecessarily disruptive decision. The substance of the decision is deeply troubling. But so is the timing. This could have been decided months ago.“
