Ballot returns have been light with just under a week to go before Tuesday’s general election, but election officials say they’re still hopeful for a greater than 68 percent voter turnout.
County Elections Supervisor Mariann Zumbuhl reported the current voter turnout at 26 percent as of early Wednesday afternoon, well off pace from Auditor Gary Zandell’s prediction of greater than two-thirds of mailed-out ballots being returned.
However, Zumbuhl said elections staff are preparing for a possible wave of voters bringing in their sealed envelopes.
“We’re afraid we’re going to get slammed,” Zumbuhl said. “We’ll probably get a lot of ballots returned over the counter, and a lot of walk-ins.”
Efforts to rake in the ballots have been bolstered by the addition of the 24-hour drive-up drop box at the Twin Cities Senior Center on National Avenue. Zumbuhl said the box has been well-used, with round-the-clock accessibility a bonus for many. The original drop box location at the county courthouse still exists, but it’s inaccessible when the courthouse is closed after 5 p.m. daily.
Elections officials continue their plea to the public to return their ballots early because canvassing volunteers count 80 to 90 percent of the ballots on election night, according to Zumbuhl. More ballots in before Tuesday means those ballots are counted on first count; conversely, ballots returned late don’t get added in until subsequent counts.
“If you wait until the last minute, you’re delaying your ballot from being counted until that Friday or even the following week,” Zumbuhl said.
A number of local and state races and proposals prompted Zandell to issue his prediction of 68 percent, but whether or not that number is reached depends on voters’ impetus to either mail back or bring their ballots to drop sites.
“The earlier you bring it in, the better,” Zumbuhl said.
