Mark Ritchie - Record Absentee Ballots Suspect?

On Twitter, SOS Mark Ritchie is trumpeting the record number of absentee ballots received by the state—over 28,000 as of today.

Absentee vote hits an all-time record - 28,000 and still going up as of Monday 3PM - one more day to go. High octane campaigning works.

One might think after the Franken/Coleman recount and inconsistent absentee ballot counting in 2008, he'd be encouraging voters to go to the polls tomorrow. It makes me wonder if the DFL and special interests are using this method of voting to sway electons for their candidate. New this year, absentee ballots will be counted by a "absentee ballot board," not electon judges at the polls. City, county or school district officials select electon judges, with "strict oversight."  The board accepts or rejects ballots during the 45 days before the election. But, who oversees them and are campaign representatives allowed to observe the counting?

According the the SOS website, you're allowed to vote absentee for the following reasons:

Absence from your precinct

Illness or disability

Serving as an election judge in another precinct

Religious discipline or observance of religious holiday

Eligible emergency declared by the governor or quarantine declared by the federal or state government

Military and overseas voters can also vote by absentee ballot.

Also on Twitter, I came across a few Kelliher supporters announcing that they voted absentee. Will a massive Get Out The Vote effort win the day for her? And will absentee voting favor one candidate again like it did Al Franken? I point at the Kelliher campaign because she is the endorsed candidate, with backng from ReNew Minnesota and TakeActonMN, union-activist groups who played a big role in her DFL endorsement.

I'm beginning to trust absentee voting even less this year, given Mark Ritchie's track record and ACORN affilations. Tomorrow's primary electon results will be telling in many ways. Tune in tomorrow...

BTW: If you're following the electons on Twitter, use the hashtag #mnvotes.

Cross-posted at FreedomDogs.