Absentee Ballot Board Established

On Tuesday, the Nicollet County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution establishing an Absentee Ballot Board. This action will allow for consistency in the acceptance or rejection of absentee ballots throughout the whole county. This board will be made up of trained staff appointed by Nicollet County Auditor/Treasurer Bridgette Kennedy.

This action will be an improvement of the system in place during past elections. In the past, each precinct made the decision about acceptance or rejection. While each precinct has trained election judges, because they are human, they could apply the standards in a number of different ways. This new board will assure greater consistency throughout each precinct.

There are Minnesota statutes that allow for the appointment of this board. A board like this has been used in the past by some counties. The recount following the last U.S. Senate election, has alerted officials to the benefits of using this method of handling absentee ballots. end