Late Thursday, October 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit made a decision that has an immediate and significant impact on absentee and mail-in ballots. The decision is available here. This ruling means absentee and mail ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted. 

Next Steps for Voters

Voters should no longer place their absentee ballot in the mail. Instead, voters 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 at 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 by hand (or have someone they trust hand-deliver it for them). Information about how, where, and when absentee and mail-in ballots can be dropped off through November 2 is available on Ramsey County's website.
  • Voters can cast their vote in person with an absentee ballot until November 2, 2020. Information about how, where, and when to vote in person is available on Ramsey County's website.
  •  Voters can cast their votes in person on Election Day, November 3. Use the Pollfinder Tool to find out where to vote.

Last Edited: November 29, 2021