ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie says he'll back legislative efforts to expand voting ahead of Election Day, though he's not sure what form that would take.
Voters can now cast absentee ballots ahead of time but they technically need to have one of a handful of valid reasons for voting early. More than 30 allow some form of no-excuse early voting, with polling places popping up as early as September.
Ritchie said Tuesday he's confident Minnesotans are ready to allow a longer voting window.
The Democrat says early voting would probably boost turnout at the margins during busy election years and have more of an effect in off-year municipal elections.
Minnesota regularly leads the nation in voter turnout, with more than 76 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in 2012.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
