There are reports across the Twin Cities of persons who have received absentee ballot request forms without requesting them. Normally, absentee ballots are only provided on request, after a voter fills out an absentee request form (which is available online or can be requested by mail). But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials appear to be sending absentee ballot applications out to registered voters without those ballots being requested.
In Olmsted County, for example, which contains Rochester and the Mayo Clinic, county officials say they have sent absentee applications to every registered voter in the county.
Minnesota law allows absentee ballots to be cast up to 46 days prior to the election, though they can be requested now. That means that the absentee period for the November 3 general election starts on September 18.
Concerns have arisen, however, that in other areas absentee ballot applications have been mailed out selectively by counties. These concerns are thus far unsubstantiated.
Yet outside groups like the “Center For Voter Information” have indeed been selectively mailing absentee ballot applications to voters more-likely to vote Democratic in Minnesota. According to the Center For Voter Information, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., they register “young people, people of color, and unmarried women.”
Several persons reported to Alpha News that they received such absentee ballot applications from the Center For Voter Information.
The Center For Voter Information appears to be undertaking a nationwide campaign to send out absentee ballot request forms to targeted voters—it was reported that in North Carolina, the Center wrongly mailed invalid applications to over 80,000 registered voters.
A conservative activist involved in election integrity matters told Alpha News that the mailing out of the absentee ballot applications by counties and leftwing groups is completely legal in Minnesota (as long as the counties are not targeting voters like the outside groups are). The person said that “state Republicans, if they were smart, should be doing the same thing.”
Willis Krumholz
Willis L. Krumholz is a fellow at Defense Priorities. He holds a JD and MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas, and works in the financial services industry. The views expressed are those of the author only. You can follow Willis on Twitter @WillKrumholz.
