Absentee ballots at decades-long high

The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State is saying that they’ve already accepted more than 30,000 absentee ballots in this midterm primary election, a 20-year high.

The high total this year could be due to the earlier than usual primary date, as the state moved it up to abide by new federal requirements. But it’s also been reported that the DFL campaigns for governor have all pushed supporters to file their ballots early to ensure their votes are cast in what’s expected to be a tight race.

As the Associated Press notes, a new law passed in the wake of the U.S. Senate recount requires special panels of election officials to count the ballots, which can add some time to the process as we wait for results this evening.

2010: 30,032 accepted absentee ballots as of 10:45 a.m. Aug. 10, 2010

2008: 21,160

2006: 19,859

2004: 18,958

2002: 18,850

2000: 21,749

1998: 25,257

1996: 20,450

1994: 22,764

1992: 18,990

1990: 17,048