City recommends all mail-in ballots be dropped off in person
Early in-person voting offers another COVID-19 safe voting alternative
Photo illustration by Molly Schochet. Because of an Oct. 30 ruling by the Eighth U.S. Circuit of Appeals judges, the St. Louis Park Elections Office recommends people drop their ballots at City Hall instead of mailing them in.
November 1, 2020
In an Oct. 30 2-1 ruling, the Eighth U.S. Circuit of Appeals judges ordered all ballots to be received by a polling place by 8 p.m. Election Day in order to count.
Senior Sophie Yakes said this ruling makes sense, but could also become an issue if someone didn’t get their ballot with enough time to mail it back by Election Day.
“(The ruling is) fair because we’ve known that Nov. 3 is the election and that’s like their deadline,” Yakes said. “However, if somebody got a mail-in ballot and didn’t receive it in time to be able to mail it back or be able to get it to a place in their city hall, then it should be counted.”
According to senior Danny Walsh, it is essential to make sure all votes are counted because of how the American government functions.
“(It’s) important for (peoples’) votes to get counted just because we live in a democracy and that would be very wrong if they weren’t counted,” Walsh said.
In order to make sure all ballots get counted, the St. Louis Park Elections Office recommends dropping ballots in person instead of mailing it in. Walsh said early voting in person is also a great option and that when he went he felt very safe.
“My experience (voting early) was really smooth, it probably took 15 minutes total,” Walsh said. “I wasn’t near anyone, so for COVID-19 that was pretty safe.”
Yakes said she has been able to learn about the city asking people to turn in their ballots in person through social media.
“I have not been on the St. Louis Park website in quite a bit, but I’ve heard about (turning in your ballots) over social media,” Yakes said.
No matter how a person chooses to vote, Walsh said he thinks everyone should do so in order for the leaders of the United States to represent those who live in it.
“The people in office should represent the people voting for them more and with an equitable vote, that’s more likely to happen,” Walsh said.
Yakes said making sure your vote is counted is important, as the point of voting is to make your voice heard.
“We need this election to count either way,” Yakes said. “We need all of the votes that we can get, because that’s what this election is all about. And we need to be able to have everyone counted that should be counted.”
To vote early in person, visit between 8 a.m.– 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until Nov. 2 City Hall. To see if a mail-in ballot has been received, track it on the Secretary Of State’s Website. To see where to drop off a mail-in ballot, visit the St. Louis Park elections website.
