The still-unresolved 2008 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota has put a spotlight on absentee voting that has not always been positive. A report out this week by the Delaware-based Overseas Vote Foundation puts Minnesota's 2008 experience in a more favorable light. This state led the nation in 2008 in increasing voter participation by overseas-based military voters, the foundation said.
An absentee voting success story
June 10, 2009 at 10:55PM
A combination of better voter outreach, a customized, user-friendly web site, and state law changes that simplified the voting process produced a 64.4 percent military absentee ballot return rate in Minnesota, the foundation reported. That compares with a national average of only 26.2 percent. The foundation singled out Secretary of State Mark Ritchie for praise, crediting his personal interest in military voters as an impetus for effective changes.
But she seems to have a history of trying to do exactly that.