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Voters Surprised By Unsolicited Absentee Ballot Applications In Mailbox

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There are 40 days left until many Minnesotans will head to the polls.

But some voters are getting applications in the mail for absentee ballots they never asked for.

The application contains personal information, including their name, address and record of how frequently they have voted.

Absentee voting by mail and in person in Minnesota began last Friday, but some voters are surprised to have gotten an unsolicited application for an absentee ballot in the mail.

An example we found comes from a group called the Center for Voter Information with a paid self-addressed envelope that goes directly back to the Hennepin County Elections Office.

And while it may look like it came from Hennepin County, it did not. Ginny Gelms, the Hennepin County Elections manager said.

"Hennepin County never sends unsolicited mailings out to people," Gelms said. "If you get an absentee ballot application from us, it's because you requested one from us. The reason Minnesota voters might get a document like this is pretty basic. Under state law, your voter information including your name, your address and how often you vote is public information, that can actually be purchased from the state of Minnesota."

Gelms says this particular letter is not a scam and that if the county received the application, an absentee ballot would be mailed out.

Gelms added, "We will get it; we will process it; we will send you your ballot."

The Center for Voter Information is behind this mailing. According to a group that tracks nonprofits, it has a mission of bolstering voter registration among disenfranchised groups including unmarried women, youth and people of color.

We reached out to the Center for Voter Information and did not hear back.

If you have questions about an election mailing, you can call the Secretary of State Steve Simon's office at 877-600-VOTE.

 

 

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