Klobuchar Tells Minnesotans ‘Don’t Vote By Mail Anymore’ After Court Ruling

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) urged voters in Minnesota not to vote by mail after a federal appeals court struck down a week-long extension for counting absentee ballots in the battleground state, and ruled that election officials must set aside absentee ballots received after Election Day. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 decision (pdf) on Oct. 29 that the state’s plan to include absentee ballots received seven days after Election Day in the cote count was an unconstitutional maneuver by Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (D), the state’s top election official. The three-judge panel in their ruling also stated that absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day but not received until Nov. 3 should be separated from other ballots in case they are later invalidated by a final court order. The ruling doesn’t block Minnesota’s seven-day extension for counting absentee ballots outright but puts the …