2018.01.29 CC Packet - Goal Setting

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IN-PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING PROCEDURES Position: Washington County supports legislation that will allow an in-person absentee voter to place their ballot directly into the ballot tabulator during the entire 46 -day absentee voting period. Issue: In Washington County during the 2016 general election approximately 25% of all ballots cast were cast by absentee ballot and in our largest city, Woodbury, over 30% of the ballots cast were cast by absentee ballot. Existing legislation allows voters to place their ballots directly into the ballot tabulator during the seven days before the election, substantially improving the voter experience and reducing administrative burden, however there is a disparity between in-person absentee voters. Voters casting their ballot in-person during the first 39 days of the absentee voting period are required to use the more time consuming and expensive mail absentee ballot process which requires a minimum of two envelopes and an extensive manual process that does not notify the voter of an error on their ballot. Voters using this process have expressed unease about having their ballot envelopes placed in a locked ballot box. In-person absentee voters who vote during the last seven days before the election are allowed to place their ballots directly into the ballot tabulator. Voters using the certified tabulator receive system validation that their ballot was accepted without error or receive a message identifying errors and allowing the voter to mark a replacement ballot. During the 2016 election approximately 14% of the ballots cast using the envelope process contained errors or stray marks that would have been identified for the voter with direct feed absentee voting. Support and Opposition: Support for expansion of the in-person absentee ballot tabulator process will come from the Minnesota Association of County Officers, Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State, and various voting rights groups, though not all may agree on the length of time to allow this alternative procedure. During the 2017 legislative session bipartisan bills were introduce to allow this expansion and both major political parties actively promoted absentee voting during the 2016 election. Opposition exists among some House and Senate members who are wary of this expansion and concerned that it does not allow a voter to change their ballot. During the 2016 election 3 voters in Washington County, .008% of absentee voters, asked to cast a replacement absentee ballot under the existing envelope procedure. Previous Consideration: The County Board and several Washington County legislative delegates actively supported this legislation in 2017. No Action: If no action is taken the in-person absentee voters will suffer disparate voter experiences, voter concerns will not be addressed, and the administrative costs for absentee voting will continue to expand as the popularity of absentee voting increases. 24