Whether by mail or in-person voting, according to Auditor-Treasurer Donna Trehus, overseeing the election process in Houston County, Minn., a total of 3,242 ballots have already been submitted by registered voters.
Out of 12,406 registered voters in the county, that amounts to roughly 26%.
Between mail-in ballots and registered absentee ballots, Houston County mailed out 5,310 ballots for the upcoming election.
With mail balloting becoming more common for this election due to concerns with COVID-19 transmission, the county office has received quite a few phone calls from voters.
A couple weeks out from Election Day, there were “no lines yet, as doors are still locked at the government center.” A license center clerk, part of Trehus’ staff, stays in the lobby to allow people in. Then they have to clean after each voter casts their ballot. “It’s getting very steady.”
With six out of 27 precincts in Houston County switching to mail balloting back in May, voters have contended with some significant change.
Trehus, who has eight years of experience as the county treasurer and more recently taking on the role of county auditor-treasurer (combined in 2018), said voters in mail-in ballot precincts “have the best of both worlds. They can vote from home, or they can drop off the ballots in a drop box outside the county courthouse. They can come into vote at the county office, as well.”
“Another thing that’s been confusing for voters is the number of absentee ballot forms that have been mailed to voters by political parties and the Secretary of State office. Some people applied for duplicates by accident, because they were confused,” explained Trehus.
Trehus offered, “It’s best not to listen to rumors you hear on TV or radio about the mail balloting process. It’s best to just call the county courthouse to find out how things are handled.”
“During the eight years while serving as treasurer, I assisted the auditor in election duties during each election, so it was not a surprise when I became auditor/treasurer to see firsthand how much dedication and work it entailed to pull off a successful election,” said Trehus.
“I also want to mention that my staff have gone over and beyond to make sure that each voter is accommodated to fit their needs and requests. I am so proud of them all and that includes my 67 day employees. They are extremely dedicated and work long hours to get what needs to be done,” concluded Trehus.