Walz, former Govs. tout voter turnout, aim higher in 2020
While Minnesota may be known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, a more suitable name for election season may be the Land of Voter Turnout.
Minnesota holds the title for the highest voter turnout in every presidential election since 1980, and the state’s governors have noticed.
A video published on Gov. Tim Walz’s social media accounts on Oct. 29 featured Walz and former Govs. Mark Dayton, Tim Pawlenty and Jesse Ventura praising Minnesotans for their continued turnout while offering a reminder of the importance of the 2020 general election.
The video featured quick cuts between each of the governors to form one cohesive message.
“Minnesotans are proud to have the highest voter turnout in the nation…” Walz began, “and we expect this year to be no different,” Pawlenty added.
Minnesota is the only state to have a turnout of registered voters above 75%, an accomplishment achieved in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 elections.
The governors hail from various parties — Ventura served as an Independent, Pawlenty served as a Republican, while Dayton and Walz served as Democrats.
“While we may not agree on every issue,” Dayton began, “we all agree that this election is the most important election of our lifetime,” Ventura concluded.
The video touched on issues such as election safety and security, as well as the expected delay in vote tallying.
“Our state is proud to have one of the safest and most secure election systems in the country,” Pawlenty said. Ventura added that a delay just means “every single ballot” is being counted.
Though Minnesota spent the summer in the headlines for civil unrest, Pawlenty called for the civility and decency “that Minnesotans are known for,” regardless of who wins.
“There is so much more that unites us rather than divides us,” Walz said.
The video ended with each of the governors donning masks.
Voters in Minneapolis stand in line at their polling place. Photo courtesy of Star Tribune
Walz’s video quickly garnered attention and reactions on social media. It has already racked up nearly 7,800 shares on Facebook and over 20,000 likes on Twitter.
While the official national turnout for the 2016 election was a mere 55.8%, Minnesota recorded a 74.7% turnout. Beyond that, precincts within Duluth city limits registered a staggering 89.4% turnout, according to Secretary of State data published by the City of Duluth. Precinct 10, the poll for the University of Minnesota Duluth, ranked second-to-last with 84.2% of registered voters voting.
The governor’s video came just one day before the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an extension for allowing mail-in ballots that were postmarked — but not received — before Nov. 3.
Minnesota saw six in ten voters vote by mail in March’s primary election, totaling well over half-a-million mailed ballots. It’s uncertain how large or little an impact this decision may have.
Thomas Henderson, a citizen of Chanhassen, Minnesota, already cast his ballot.
As a 19-year-old college student attending the University of Washington, Henderson’s best option was to complete his voter registration online and mail-in his ballot from Seattle.
“Registering was super easy and quick,” Henderson said. “[I] just went online to the state website and registered.”
Henderson requested an absentee ballot before his registration was accepted by an election official. He was worried that this could cause a snag in receiving his ballot.
After waiting four weeks, Henderson’s absentee ballot arrived in Seattle. He filled it out and mailed it back.
Minnesota allows absentee voters to track the progress of their ballots through their Voter Information Portal. By confirming their name, birthdate and drivers license number (or last four digits of their social security number), voters can receive confirmation when their ballot has been received and accepted.
Henderson checked the portal and said despite mailing his ballot back early last week, at the time of publication, it has yet to be marked as received. He expressed his worry that the new ruling may invalidate his ballot.
In a later text on Nov. 3, Henderson confirmed his ballot had been marked as received.
Though Minnesota’s deadline to register to vote via mail has passed, voters are still able to register at the polls, whether they vote early or on election day. Details on in-person registration can be found here.