Staring down an election without precedent, Minnesota officials entered the final push to ensure all voters’ ballots could be counted amid a historic surge in mail voting, legal challenges, federal monitors and elevated fears of conflict at polling places.

Secretary of State Steve Simon said Monday that a record 1,716,575 absentee ballots had been returned and accepted as of the morning — 58% of the total turnout for 2016. Another 338,944 requested absentee ballots remained outstanding.

Simon’s office planned to provide another tally on absentee balloting late Monday.

As voters rushed to return absentee ballots, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that federal officials are being sent to monitor for potential elections law violations in Minneapolis as part of an 18-state Election Day operation.

However Simon said that his office had received “no advance notice at all.” He added that law enforcement of any kind are not allowed inside local polling sites without invitation.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald had previously said her office would appoint a prosecutor to take complaints of possible federal election law violations, but plans did not call for any monitoring inside polling places.

Monday marked the final day of early voting in the general election that began in Sept. 18. The crush of mail-in ballots reflected concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic that upended planning for the 2020 election earlier this year. Potential mail delays also sent voters rushing for absentee ballots for early voting.

Adding to voters’ concerns, the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered on Thursday that all mail-in ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day to be segregated for possible legal challenges. An earlier state court agreement had expanded the deadline for receiving mail ballots to Nov. 10, as long as they were postmarked by Election Day.

With time running out, Simon’s office is not appealing the federal ruling. Rather state election officials have been urging Minnesotans to stop mailing in ballots and instead vote in person, either at early voting centers or at the polls on Tuesday. Those dropping off absentee ballots are being urged to do so in person by 3 p.m. on Election Day.

State and federal officials entered the year on high alert for a redux of 2016, when Russian state actors waged a broad systemic campaign to interfere in the presidential election and try to penetrate election systems nationwide. Minnesota was one of the targeted states.

But the pandemic quickly added a new adversary threatening the vote.

The ideological intensity of the 2020 election is also reviving fears of resurgent civil unrest on par with what followed George Floyd’s death in May.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison intervened amid reports that private security contractors were advertising jobs for armed ex-special forces members to illegally guard polling places in Minneapolis. The Tennessee-based Atlas Aegis, facing federal civil suits and a probe by Ellison’s office, has since assured state officials that it erroneously advertised security jobs intended for private businesses as being geared toward polling sites.

The Atlas Aegis postings prompted Ellison to sound the alarm over concerns about voter intimidation. Simon’s office meanwhile reminded that state law allows only for designated poll “challengers” to keep a distance between voters and only report concerns to election judges in writing.

Reflecting the focus on election administration in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz’s public daily schedule for Election Day eve listed only a phone call with Simon.

Simon told reporters Monday that he would not be surprised to see the state “smash” the modern-day record for voter turnout of 77% set in 2008.

“All is know is it’s pretty electric out there right now,” Simon said. “On all sides, by the way. Equal opportunity electricity, I think, on the left, right, red, blue. People are fired up to vote.”

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to startribune.com for updates.

 

Twitter: @smontemayor