Absentee Voting (AB) June 27 th - August 11 th September 19 th – November 3 rd.
Transcript of Absentee Voting (AB) June 27 th - August 11 th September 19 th – November 3 rd.
Absentee Voting (AB)
June 27th - August 11th
September 19th – November 3rd
An eligible voter applies to automatically receive absentee ballot applications
Applications mailed by county 60 days prior to election
Completed applications are addressed to each city
Encourage the option
Permanent Absentee Voters
Absentee voting opens 46 days prior to election day Primary: June 27 – August 11 General: September 19 – November 3
Extended hours Saturday before election 10am-3pm Monday before election day until 5pm
Dates and Hours
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
Delegated – Cities process their own absentee ballot applications, have their own absentee ballot board
Non-delegated – Cities process in-person absentee voters, forward completed materials and applications to county absentee ballot board
Both delegated and non-delegated use SVRS
Delegated v. Non-delegated
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
In-person v. by mail Registered
Voter is registered with current name and address Non-registered
Voter is not registered or is registered with an old name or address, or a challenged voter
Safe at Home Name and address confidentiality program Administered by Secretary of State’s Office
UOCAVA Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
Health Care Agent v. Agent delivery Presidential
Types of Absentee Ballots
Precinct ballot v. Federal ballot Federal Write-in ballot
UOCAVA voters may submit application online – new 2013
Types of Absentee Ballots - UOCAVA
https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/UocavaRegistration/UocavaStep1.aspx
UOCAVA ballots no longer sent to city for counting
All UOCAVA ballots counted by county
Simplified absentee statistics worksheet for cities
Reduced number of ballots to be duplicated for cities
Reduced election day delivery of ballots to be processed
UOCAVA Absentee Ballots 2014
Absentee envelope review Registered Signature Non-registered Signature Registered Agent Signature Non-registered Agent Signature Outgoing (mailing) Return Secrecy
Absentee ballot envelopes to be delivered early June
Absentee Ballot Envelopes
Registered signature envelope and instructions
Non-registered signature envelope and instructions
Size of all envelopes Recycle all old-stock
Changes to Absentee Materials
SVRS Absentee applications Election day registration applications (marked
AB) Envelopes Absentee Voting Instructions Ballots Postage for Return Envelopes “I voted” stickers DYMO Label printer, labels
Plan ahead – pre-assemble supply of materials
Absentee Voting Supplies
Voter requests ballot, completes application Staff enters application into SVRS, prints
labels Voter votes, returns ballot in completed
signature envelope Date stamp envelope Accept or reject envelope Sort envelopes by ward/precinct Prepare ballots to be counted
Absentee Voting Process
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
Voters no longer need a reason to vote absentee New 2014 Volume of voters using
absentee may increase, plan ahead
Faxed or emailed applications are okay
If election requested is not marked, provide ballot for the next election only
Keep track of how application is received
Processing Applications
Complete ‘office use only’ section of application Materials issued –registered, non-registered Application received date Ballot Issue date Issuers initials Type – M=municipal, C=county, HCF=health care facility Precinct and school district information
Processing Applications
Voters may apply for absentee ballot online – new 2014
Will not have signature to compare More information on this process during
SVRS-AB training in June
Processing Applications
Enter every accepted application into SVRS SVRS will search voter registration records Existing voter records are updated with absentee
information; or New voter records are added with absentee
information Confirm voter does not have a ballot issued already
Issuing Absentee Ballots
Labels for materials generated by SVRS Materials for voters
Envelopes – registered v. non-registered, and secrecy Instructions – registered v. non-registered Ballot – for correct precinct and school district Voter Registration Application (AB-EDR) – non-
registered
Issuing Absentee Ballots
Voter receives materials Verbally provide direction
Same direction given to voters at the polls Instruct voter to complete envelope Act as witness Secure completed materials for absentee
ballot board
Issuing Absentee Ballots In-person
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
In person voting locations Each city hall and Hennepin County Minimum of one voting booth AutoMARK available Prohibitions against campaign materials apply
Issuing Absentee BallotsIn-person
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
Gather materials for voter Include return envelope Include postage on return envelope
Ballots should be mailed to voters within one business day
Create 2 person system; 1 person gathers materials, 1 person reviews materials prior to being sent
Secure applications
Issuing Absentee BallotsBy Mail
June 27th - August 11th
September 20th – November 3rd
In person by 5pm day before election day In person by agent return by 3pm on election day
(individual other than voter)
By mail through last mail on election day
Delivering in-person ABs: In person AB @ county HC AB board City for counting In person AB @ non-delegated city HC AB board,
counting UOCAVA AB @ county HC AB board, counting
Receiving Absentee Ballots
June 27th - August 12th
September 20th – November 4th
Upon receipt stamp or initial and date envelope
Record ballot as received in SVRS, or Record ballot as undeliverable if USPS
couldn’t deliver ballot Confirm mailing address is correct
Receiving Absentee Ballots
Absentee Ballot Board
June 27th - August 12th
September 20th – November 4th
Must establish ballot board by ordinance or resolution
Must consist of a sufficient number of trained election judges appointed as provided in M.S. 204B.19- M.S. 204B.22
May consist of deputy auditors or clerks trained in processing and counting absentee ballots
Party balance Does not apply to appointed staff
Establishing Absentee Ballot Board
Two or more members of different major political parties shall review returned ballot envelopes and accept or reject them Party balance does not apply for trained staff
Clerk does not pre-examine
Absentee Ballot Board Process
June 27th - August 12th
September 20th – November 4th
Accept/reject within 5 days of receipt if received more than 14 days before the election
Accept/reject within 3 days of receipt if received less than 14 days before the election
Record accepted/rejected on ballot envelope, initial Record accepted/rejected in SVRS If rejected, indicate reason rejected
Absentee Ballot Board Process
Must accept if: Name and address match application Voter signed envelope Driver’s license, MN ID, or last 4 digits of SSN match
application If DL, MN ID or SSN do not match, compare signature to
application Voter is registered or completed AB-EDR
AB-EDR can be removed at this point, placed in AB precinct kit envelope
Witness provided address and signature And, completed proof of residence for non-registered voters
Voter has not already voted
If these requirements are not met ballot must be rejected.
Accepting Absentee Ballots
Secure all accepted absentee ballots until ballot board may begin counting process 5pm - 7th day before election – new 2014
Accepting Absentee Ballots
August 5th and October 28th
If rejected at least 5 days before election Envelope remains sealed Provide replacement ballot – “Replacement Ballot” on envelope Include letter stating reason for rejection
If rejected within 5 days of the election Envelope remains sealed Attempt to notify voter of rejected ballot by phone or email Document attempts made
Late ballots
Written rejection notice sent by county 6-10 weeks after election if voter didn’t otherwise vote
Rejecting Absentee Ballots
Rejecting Absentee Ballots
More information: OSS Guides
City Clerk Guide School District Clerk Guide
OSS website Absentee Ballot Board Guidelines
Accepted envelope examples Rejected envelope examples Notice of Rejection and Replacement example
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=618\
Absentee Ballot Board Process
Counting Absentee Ballots
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Multiple options in SVRS
Additional reports available in SVRS with new release May 29
Balancing Accepted Ballots
Rosters automatically marked “AB” for registered voters if ballot accepted in SVRS prior to the printing of rosters
County will generate rosters as late as possible
Manual marking of all “AB” in rosters for registered voters if ballot is accepted after printing of rosters
Coordinate with polling place for ballots accepted on election day
Marking Absentee on Roster
Reports available in SVRS Accepted Absentee Ballots for Registered
Voters Used to manually mark “AB” on pre-
registered roster Absentee Election Day Registrants for
Polling Place Used at new registration table on election
day
Marking Absentee on Roster
Must be able to contact polling locations on election day If cell service is bad, have alternative phone
numbers for polling place available, or Suggest election judges contact your office at
specific times Marking of ‘AB’ on rosters in the polling place
is a priority for election judges on election day
Marking Absentee on Roster
Starting at 5pm - 7 days before election – new 2014 August 5 and October 28
Review absentee ballot board instructions
Preparing Absentee Ballots to be Counted
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Central Count (DS850) 4 central count
locations: Hennepin County Bloomington Maple Grove Plymouth
Counting Absentee Ballots
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Specific times and locations assigned to each jurisdiction
Schedule will be sent later Wednesday or Thursday; and Saturday or Sunday; and Monday and/or Tuesday
Counting Absentee Ballots
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
What to bring? Two staff members or judges with accepted
ballots ready to be scanned Absentee Statistics Worksheet Extra absentee precinct kit envelopes Envelope(s) and/or extra seals to transport
counted ballots back to clerk’s office
Counting Absentee Ballots
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
What to expect? Scheduled times County staff
Assist with DS850 Ballots run/scanned by precinct Verify # to be counted with # scanned
City staff Duplicate ballots as needed Troubleshoot if statistics are off Seal scanned ballots in envelope Transport materials back to clerk’s office
Counting Absentee Ballots
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Cities must designate absentee “troubleshooter” Available during absentee processing and counting Knowledge of process Knowledge of materials, location
Troubleshooter will help ensure central count locations are able to stay on schedule
County will contact cities if schedule is running behind
Counting Absentee Ballots
Absentee Results
August 12th and November 4th
Results sticks from each DS850 are brought to county
At 8pm absentee results are loaded onto county server
At 8pm precincts begin transmitting results from each polling place
Once county has both sets of results (AB and polling place) results are loaded onto OSS website
No results are posted without both sets of #s
Absentee Results: On Election Night
August 12th and November 4th
Each jurisdiction’s AB results will be posted to FTP site Results posted on election night Print AB results, keep with polling place results Send AB results to school districts
Other items on FTP site Write-in images Abstract of results
Absentee Results
August 12th and November 4th
Other Absentee Activities
Health care facilities governed by M.S. 144.50: Hospital Residential treatment center Nursing home
www.health.state.mn.us
Clerk MUST conduct absentee voting outreach for residents of HCF
Health Care Facility (HCF) Voting
July 23rd – August 11th October 15th – November 3rd
20 days preceding each election July 23 and October 15
Two judges of different major political parties Additional 1 hour training Travel together Take absentee applications to residents Issue ballots to residents Assist patients with voting Return voted ballots to clerk
Health Care Facility Voting
July 23rd – August 11th October 15th – November 3rd
Coordinate with HCF prior to pre-registration cut-off Pre-register voters for fewer non-registered
residents Receive applications prior to visit
Prepare materials beforehand Receive list of employees to be vouchers
Sent to county no less than 20 days before election
Health Care Facility Voting
July 23rd – August 11th October 15th – November 3rd
Picking up and returning ballot on behalf of another voter
Begins 7 days before election day August 5 and October 28
Voter must complete: Absentee ballot application; and Request for Agent Delivery of Absentee Ballot
application
Agent Delivery Absentee Voting
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Who is eligible? Any voter who
Has difficulty getting to the polls because of incapacitating health reasons
Is disabled Is a patient of a health care facility Is a resident of an assisted living facility Is a resident of a battered women’s shelter
Agent Delivery Absentee Voting
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Who can be an agent? Must have pre-existing relationship with voter Can’t be candidate Can’t deliver ballots to more than three people per
election
Must apply by 2pm on election day Voted ballots must be returned by 3pm on election day
Specific envelopes for agent delivery process
Agent Delivery
August 5th - August 12th
October 28th – November 4th
Agent Delivery Process
Request for Agent Delivery form
Agent Delivery Process
Agent Delivery Log
Agent Delivery Process
For returning/dropping off a ballot – different than agent delivery
Return by Agent: Anytime during absentee period Any person other than voter May return up to 3 ballots Must be over 18
Log agent’s name, address; agent must show ID and provide signature
Absentee Ballots Returned by Agent
June 27th - August 12th
September 20th – November 4th
Voters can view status of absentee ballot
Link from Secretary of State’s website
Checking Absentee Ballot Status
https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AbsenteeBallotStatus.aspx