Bid to open polling places sooner advances
Published 9:59 am Friday, February 20, 2015
ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s first big run with no-excuse absentee voting has some lawmakers setting their sights on a more-expansive form of early balloting for future elections.
Legislation moving in the Minnesota Senate would establish a 15-day early voting window before an election when polling places would be open, including on those Saturdays. But it faces a tougher course in the House, where a key Republican says his colleagues don’t have a big appetite for another significant change so soon.
Last year was the first statewide election where voters could request and cast an absentee ballot without a qualified excuse. Secretary of State Steve Simon says that balloting was a success, but he argues true early voting comes with a lower administration cost because it doesn’t have as much paperwork and postage involved.