03-11-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

LEAGUE of MINNESOTA CITIES February 18, 2015 To members of the Senate Subeonunittee on Elections: CONNECTING & INNOVATING SINCE 1913 I am writing to express the League of Minnesota Cities' support for SF414 (Sieben), which establishes early voting in Minnesota. The League of Minnesota Cities is a 100 year old membership organization representing our more than 800 member cities at the Capitol. The League has long supported early voting and our board of directors has consistently made its establishment a legislative priority. City elections administrators are on the front line of ensuring that Minnesotans have an accessible, efficient and secure voting experience. They are committed to carrying out state election law and rule with the utmost degree of integrity and security. With the implementation of no -excuse absentee voting in 2014, cities experienced a significant increase in in-person absentee voting at city halls across the state in the 2014 mid-term election. Because this process was promoted as "early voting" by the media and political campaigns alike, many voters were surprised by the administrative paperwork of the in-person absentee voting process. Voters must apply for a ballot and do not place their ballot in a secure tabulator. The absentee balloting process requires that the completed ballot be placed in a series of envelopes signed by the election official. The ballot is then placed in a secure box to be processed after the voter has left. Not only is this process inefficient for administrators but it prevents voters from putting their ballot into a tabulator as they do on Election Day. They know then their ballot has been accepted and does not have any errors. If there are voter errors, the tabulator rejects the ballot and the voter can submit a new ballot, With the current process, a voter has already left the building when the ballot is processed, increasing the likelihood they will not have the opportunity to correct any errors and subsequently ensure their ballot is counted. This legislation would not alter the mail -in absentee process but would simply allow voters the opportunity to place their ballots into a secure tabulator. We anticipate an even greater increase in Minnesotans voting before Election Day in the 2016 general election. Because of this, now is the time to pass early voting to ensure systems are in place for the 2016 election. Thank you again for your consideration of SF414. Ann Lin trom Intergovernmental Relations Representative League of Minnesota Cities 145 UNIVERSITY AVE. WEST ST. PAUL. MN 55103.2044 PRONE: (651) 281-1200 FAX: (651) 2814299 TOLL razz: (800) 925-1122 W£P:WWWLMC.ORO