Minnesota lawmakers have made it easier for residents to vote this year.

 

Under the new “no excuse” law, the state now allows voters to cast an absentee ballot without the need to prove they won’t be able to get to their voting precinct on Election Day.

 

“Before, you had to prove you would be gone from the precinct that day,” says Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer Diane Arnold, “like you were a snowbird and wouldn’t be there to vote.”

 

Now registered or non-registered voters in Sherburne County can just fill out an application at the Government Center, pick up a ballot and vote right at the service counter.

 

“They can vote and return it right here or they can take it with them and then return it to us before Tuesday,” says Arnold.

 

Voters can also fill out an application online on the Secretary of State’s website, then submit the completed ballot to the county.

 

“We document when  when we receive the application, when the ballot goes out, when it comes back, and whether it’s accepted or rejected,” says Arnold. “If it’s rejected, we have to state a reason why and send them a new ballot. If it’s close to Election Day we try to contact them by phone or email or whatever contact information they gave us.”

 

Since the new law went into effect, Minnesota has seen a 60% increase in the number of absentee votes over the last non-presidential election year in 2010.

 

In her report to the county board earlier this month, Arnold said her department was averaging about 60 absentee ballots a day. She expected the final numbers to be somewhere near 2,500, similar to 2010.

 

During the presidential election year in 2012, there were more than 4,000 absentee votes in the county.

 

With Election Day this Tuesday, voters have two more chances to cast absentee ballots. The Government Center is open today (Saturday) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. as required by state statute. 

 

Arnold says she expects about 100 people to cast their votes that day.

 

“I’m having additional staff here along with the temporary election staff to assist with the absentee ballot process for that day,” she said. “And we will be running rosters for the 35 precincts and opening the absentee ballots accepted for processing.”

 

Voters can also cast their vote at the Government Center Monday until 5 p.m.

 

But there is no voting at the county offices on Election Day. Voters must cast their ballots at their precinct that day.