Minn. starts absentee voting Friday under new law
Absentee voting started on Friday under a new schedule aimed to give Minnesotans who are overseas or in the military more time to cast their ballots.
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is also releasing a website that allows people to check whether their absentee ballots have been accepted. If the ballot is rejected the site gives a reason why and notifies voters a replacement ballot is in the mail.
Ritchie said it will help voters understand whether their votes are being counted.
"It's a bit like Federal Express, which can now track your package wherever it is," he said. "We're able to use the same general idea that at each step it's noted that it's been successfully completed."
Ritchie said he expects 150,000 absentee ballots to be cast this year -- a 10 percent increase from the last gubernatorial election in 2006. Absentee voting runs through Nov. 1, the day before the election.
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