ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota's elections chief is proposing a makeover of absentee ballot envelopes and instructions with a goal of avoiding the confusion exposed in the 2008 election.
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said the redesigned ballot would make the process for casting such ballots clearer. He has initiated a rules change process that is expected to wrap up next March.
Absentee ballot errors were highlighted during the overtime U.S. Senate race that Democrat Al Franken won by 312 votes. Thousands of ballots were rejected but later let back in.
Under Ritchie's proposal, voters would get additional guidance on how to correct errors, step-by-step illustrations about how to submit their ballots and visual cues about where to sign their name.
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