Report refuts claims about Minnesota election system made by CAE

Common Cause Minnesota and Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota released a report last week refuting claims made by the Center of the American Experiment about the 2008 US Senate recount and Minnesota’s election law and practice.

According to a press release by CCMN, the CAE’s report makes no effort to back up what the CCMN calls inaccurate and misleading claims. One statement refuted by CCMN is the CAE’s claim the rejection rate for military absentee voting is 16 percent greater than regular absentee voting. The CCMN report shows the number is double that. The report goes on to say that between 2006 and 2008 the rejection rate was cut in half.

The following three recommendations, discussed throughout our response are key changes that will insure the integrity of elections while not creating undue barriers to voters. We hope the legislature will pass them and that the Governor will sign them into law this year.

1. Streamline the absentee ballot process including the creation of absentee ballot boards.

2. Allow for early voting which would provide voters the same rights and privileges that voters have on Election Day.

3. Move the primary election date, which would allow overseas voters adequate time to complete and mail ballots back to the United States.

“Since its ‘facts’ have been published throughout Minnesota, we hope that our response will also be published to set the record straight,” wrote executive director for CCMN Mike Dean about the CAE report.

Read the full CCMN and CEIMN report here.

Read the full CAE report here.

Politics in Minnesota wrote an article in Oct. 2009 about the CAE report. Read the full story here.