Minnesota allows for permanent absentee voting

Any Minnesota voter can now sign up for a permanent absentee ballot.

As of June 1, Minnesota joined eight other states and Washington, D.C. to allow all voters, irrespective of disability status or age, to register online to permanently vote absentee. This will allow voting as early as 46 days before an election.

To leave the permanent absentee list, the voter must send a written request to their county elections office. Absentee ballots will no longer be sent to the voter’s address if it’s returned as undeliverable, the voter is pronounced dead by the county or if their status becomes “challenged” or “inactive.”

Residents can apply at mnvotes.gov/register. Those who wish to apply for absentee for only one election at a time can visit the same website. Ballots will still not count if received after election day, whether by mail, at a dropoff location or at the elections office.

In addition to the new absentee rules, Minnesota residents can also now provide a description of their residence if they don’t have a specific address. This can include cardinal directions or distance from the closest crossroads. Twenty other states feature this on their voter registration forms, as does the National Mail Voter Registration Form.