Mower County voters must have absentee and mail-in ballots into the Auditor/Treasurer’s office no later than November 3rd

Mower County Auditor/Treasurer Scott Felten reported that late on Thursday, Oct. 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit overruled the state approved consent decree that had extended the deadline in Minnesota for receiving and accepting absentee and mail ballots as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by election officials by Nov. 10. The Court of Appeals ruling now means absentee and mail ballots must be received by Nov. 3, Election Day, in order to be counted. Absentee ballots must be received no later than 3 pm on Nov. 3 and mail ballots must be received by 8 pm on Nov. 3 at county election offices.

Felten stated that as a result, Minnesota voters should not mail their absentee or mail ballot to their elections office if they are still holding their ballot.

Voters in Mower County have several options to ensure their vote is counted in the November general election:

• Voters who have already put their ballot in the mail can track their ballot athttp://www.mnvotes.org/track. If their ballot has not yet been received, the voter can vote in-person either by absentee, or at their polling place on Election Day.
• Voters can deliver their ballots to the Mower County Elections Office by hand (or have someone they trust hand-deliver it for them).
• Voters can cast their vote in person with an absentee ballot at the Mower County Elections Office from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday, Oct. 31 and from 8 am to 5 pm on Monday, Nov. 2.
• Voters can cast their votes in person on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3 at their designated polling location. Use the Secretary of State’s Pollfinder Tool online to find out where to vote.
• Voters who live in any of the mail balloting townships or small cities can cast their votes in person on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Mower County Elections Office from 7 am to 8 pm.

The Mower County Elections Office is located at 500 4^th Ave. NE in Austin City Hall, which is across the street from the new Austin YMCA and Rec Center.  Voters can also call the elections office at 507-437-9535 or 507-437-9456.  Callers are asked to be patient as the elections office is experiencing large numbers of phone calls and people absentee voting.

Felten stated that through Oct. 29, about 58% of Mower County registered voters had either requested an absentee ballot or were sent a ballot because they live in a mail balloting precinct.