As has been true in Minnesota for more than a decade, you don’t need to give a reason to vote early or by absentee ballot. Absentee voters are kept from voting twice by the Statewide Registration System, which tells election judges if a voter has already voted.
Election Day balloting, when most Minnesotans vote, is very secure. Voters must provide their name and address, and if questioned, their date of birth. They then sign an oath that they are eligible and acknowledge giving false information is a felony, punishable by a prison sentence. Sensitive tasks, like assisting voters or counting ballots, must be conducted by two election judges of different political parties.
Finally, before they can leave their polling place for the night, in a process called reconciliation, election judges of multiple political parties must verify the number of ballots match the number of voters.
All Minnesota votes are on paper, including those made on voting machines. That way results can be easily checked, as was done in statewide recounts in 2008 and 2010 and in a number of local races since. As the voting machines are not connected to the internet, outsiders can’t manipulate them. There is no evidence to back claims of hacked or faulty voting machines.
All Minnesota voting equipment is tested and certified by labs accredited by the federal Election Assistance Commission and undergo more testing by the Secretary of State’s office. Also, local election officials test all equipment before Election Day. These tests are open to the public. Just contact your county auditor or election official to find out when and where the next scheduled test will be held.
