Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Absentee Voting Rules topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill shortening absentee voting window and changing return deadline
Summary
House File 1253 would shorten several absentee‑voting deadlines and set the in‑person/mail return deadline at 3 p.m. on election day; county officials supported efficiency gains while the Secretary of State and some members raised concerns about voter access and reporting of unofficial results. The committee recommended the bill to pass 6‑5.
The committee recommended House File 1253 to pass and re-referred it to the General Register after a contentious discussion over absentee-voting timelines and ballot-return deadlines.
Representative Davis, author of HF1253, said the bill reduces the statutory absentee voting window from 46 days to 28 days for most voters, moves the start of in-person absentee voting accordingly, shortens the notice requirement for temporary early-voting locations, and restores a 3 p.m. deadline for absentee ballots returned in person on election day (repealing the more recent 8 p.m. return allowance).
Jory Danielson, Administrative Services Director for Crow Wing County, supported the bill, saying a shorter absentee window and a 3 p.m. in-person return deadline would let counties process and prepare ballots more efficiently and allow better staffing and quality control. Danielson said that in Crow Wing County in 2024, about 36 percent of votes were cast by absentee ballot and approximately 16 percent of absentee ballots were returned in the first 18 days of the absentee period.
Paul Anel from the Office of the Secretary of State told the committee that the Secretary's office recognizes the need for flexibility for local governments but recommended caution. The office noted that in 2024 many voters returned ballots late in the day: in Hennepin County, 4,495 absentee ballots were returned between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on election day; in Washington County, 123 were returned in that window. The Secretary's office recommended maintaining an 8 p.m. uniform close for all voting methods and said reducing the return deadline could delay reporting and potentially disenfranchise voters who rely on late-day returns or slower mail service.
Members debated mail reliability in rural areas and whether postmark rules should be used; several members asked for data from the secretary's office and for more analysis before making changes that could affect mail‑only precincts and voters in areas with known postal delays. Representative Vernegg and Representative Lee raised concerns about mail reliability in their districts and asked whether a postmark rule would address those concerns.
On the roll call to recommend passage and re-refer to the General Register, the committee voted 6 ayes and 5 nays.
Ending: The Secretary of State and multiple counties said they would work with the committee to improve planning and reporting procedures should the bill advance; some members asked for amendments to preserve voter access for mail-dependent precincts.
