Can I hand deliver the filled ballot directly to my city?

[question everything]

I know that I can do it to the county (I think)

And, four years ago voted absentee at City Hall but it would be nice to hand deliver the sealed ballot to the city to transfer to the county (or to the Secretary of State?)

[SharonClark]

1. Call your county elections office and ask.

[question everything]

2. Thanks, I will

[dflprincess]

3. Yes

It's basically what you do when you vote early & in person. Though you may want to check if there is a cut off date for dropping absentee ballots off.

I voted really early in the primary and did the whole process at Bloomington City Hall. First, I filled out the request for an absentee ballot, gave it to the clerk & she gave me my ballot, filled it out & returned it to her. This is kind of nice as she checked to make sure everything on the envelopes was filled out correctly when she took it from me.

Doing it in person is also nice if the clerk makes a mistake. The last election my mom was here for (2010) I took her over to City Hall and, just as we were putting her ballot in the envelope, I noticed they had given her a ballot marked with the wrong precinct. All the candidates were the same but, had she mailed it in and it had gone to the wrong precinct, it would not have been counted.

[murielm99]

4. Call your election authority and find out

exactly what you need to do. My husband and I are not going to fill out our ballots until we know. We may need to surrender them in person. We may need to vote early, risking the plague. We will do what we need to do, but not without specific instructions.

[progree]

5. Probably not. Your options are congregate voting and the Trump/DeJoy postal "service"

I don't write this lightly, I've done a lot of research.

I consider going to city hall and filling out an application and getting the ballot etc. an unacceptable form of congregate voting. I've done this before in the pre-Covid days (Golden Valley City Hall), which is fine, but we're supposed to be getting away from this, right? Right. It's just like traditional voting at the polls, but fewer people. Better, but still unsat.

There's no drop box or anything like that option - e.g. get your ballot in the mail, fill it out at home, and then put it in a drop box that isn't controlled by the Trump/DeJoy postal service. Or simply handing your filled out ballot to some clerk at city hall, which I would be OK with if it's a "quickie" and I don't have to stand in line -- he/she just takes it, maybe looks at the envelope to be sure its got the signature and what not. But I see no reason at all for not just having a drop box.

I searched my Golden Valley City website and the sos.state.mn.us websites.

[question everything]

6. Perhaps the recemt uproar will get the state, the county, city hall to add drop boxes

By the way, in the original request I selected both primary and general election. Hope these ballots will arrive on time.

I think that before the primaries I saw a drop box in front of the Hennepin County building.

Worse come to worse, we can take a deep breath and drive downtown to drop them at the county building.

Have not been to downtown since... visiting all the decorations before the superbowl.

Time to contact my state rep.

And yet, I can see the Rs in the Capitol objecting to any accommodating.

[dflprincess]

7. I was just talking to a cousin

and we were discussing what we were going to do about voting. She told me that on 2018 she did drop her mom's ballot off at the city hall where they live. She's planning to do the same this year.

[progree]

8. An article about a couple of drop boxes in Minneapolis: 980 E. Hennepin Ave & HennCo Gov Ctr

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/08/07/drive-thru-ballot-drop-off-begins-friday-in-minneapolis/

Drive-Thru Ballot Drop Off Begins Friday In Minneapolis, 8/7/20

At the drive thru drop-off location — 980 East Hennepin Ave. — workers will be available to take ballots. Individuals can also drop ballots in the box themselves.

“Even if you are biking, you can do it,” said Grace Wachlaroicz, the director of Minneapolis Election and Voter Services. “Or, if you are taking a nice walk, you can even drop by and walk up to us.”

Additionally, voters can have another person drop off their ballot, as long as the drop-off person brings identification.

The drop-off stations — another is located in the skyway at the Hennepin County Government Center — in the skyway.

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This was for the primaries. A few more locations would have been nice. But at least the drop box concept is not verboten.

[question everything]

9. Also at Plymouth City Hall

Drop-and-go at Plymouth City Hall by 3 p.m. on Election Day. If you’re concerned that your ballot won’t be received in time, you may “drop and go” your ballot (yourself or someone on your behalf) at Plymouth City Offices, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, Plymouth, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until 3 p.m. on Election Day.

https://www.plymouthmn.gov/departments/administrative-services/city-clerk/elections/early-voting

I would imagine this will take place in other cities, especially with recent stories.

[progree]

10. Nothing like that on the Golden Valley city website. I'll wait until Sept 18, when

ballots become available, and absentee voting begins. If still nothing at city website, will start bugging them.