Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections And Voting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Polk County board establishes absentee, mail and UOCAVA ballot boards under state statute
Summary
The Polk County Board adopted Resolution 2026-04 to establish absentee, mail and UOCAVA ballot boards under Minnesota Statutes §203B.121 and §203B.23, authorizing election judges or trained staff to serve and allowing the boards to meet during the 45 days before an election.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution 2026-04 on Jan. 6, 2026, formally creating an Absentee Ballot Board, Mail Ballot Board and UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens’ Absentee Voting Act) Ballot Board under Minnesota Statutes §203B.121, subdivision 1, and §203B.23.
The resolution authorizes the boards to consist of a sufficient number of election judges or deputy county auditors trained in processing and counting absentee, mail and UOCAVA ballots and permits the county’s Director of Property Records to appoint the Director’s employees to serve if they have received adequate training. The boards will meet as needed when called by the Director during the 45 calendar days prior to each election, the minutes state. The motion was seconded and adopted unanimously (YEAS: Commissioners Reese, Willhite, Lee).
The action formalizes Polk County’s local procedures for handling returned absentee and mail ballots and for processing ballots from uniformed and overseas voters; the minutes state that appointment and training requirements follow the cited statutory authority. No additional details about staffing levels or specific employee assignments were included in the minutes.
