Nicollet County election officials adapt to increased mail-in ballots
A sign directs where people can vote in St. Peter, Minnesota. (FOX 9)
ST. PETER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Elections officials in rural counties across Minnesota are trying to figure out how to pull off one of the most unusual elections of anyone’s lifetime.
“But there’s so many checks and balances in the process that it is a lot of work, but we’re doing good,” said Jacki Kopet, an elections administration in Nicollet County.
Nicollet County is home to just over 34,000 people.
“The disadvantage is that we’re small and sometimes the advantage is that we’re small,” said Kopet.
A disadvantage is there are fewer resources to process the thousands more absentee ballots requested this year.
“We’ve basically doubled our staff to accompany these extra ballots,” said Kopet.
An advantage, however, is under state law, many small townships in Minnesota that have fewer than 400 registered voters are allowed to only offer mail-in voting. This is something Kopet has had experience doing for years.
“Now we have 14 precincts that are mail ballot, which is up from our nine precincts,” she said. “That is not a new process – just more used this year.”
The president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters also shared that many people living in rural communities are already used to mailing in ballots.
A disadvantage for voters is that the City of St. Peter is the only place in Nicollet County where people can vote early in-person.
“Our county seat is on the east end of the county, so we have west end people who want to bring their ballot in, so they are driving maybe 45 minutes to come here to drop their ballots off,” she said.
Kopet estimates more than 70 percent of voters in Nicollet County will chose to vote early in-person – or mail in an absentee ballot. She wonders if this will become the new normal.
“That’s kind of the million dollar question wondering is if this is what it’s going to be like all the time that people are going to absentee vote and not go to the poll place,” said Kopet.