23K mail-in ballots rejected in Wisconsin, largely due to user error

Not-so-welcome-back, 90-plus-degree heat wave. Our summer theme of the year 2020 comes back for the weekend: hot, steamy and stormy! Tomorrow, much of Minnesota will see highs in the 90s with dew points in the 70s. And the humidity will put the heat index past 100 degrees for parts of the state, including the Twin Cities. There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms for northern and western Minnesota late Friday night, too. Stay cool and safe!

Voting by mail? Make sure you fill out all the forms correctly -- otherwise, it may get tossed out. In Wisconsin’s April primary election, about 23,000 ballots were thrown out, mostly because those voters or their witnesses missed at least one line on a form, according to an analysis by APM Reports . The figure is nearly equivalent to President Trump’s 2016 margin of victory in Wisconsin of 22,748 votes. And with voter turnout expected to double from April to more than 3 million in November, a proportionate volume of ballot rejections could be the difference in who wins the swing state and possibly the presidency.

How can I track my mail-in ballot? By when and how should I return by ballot? Here are four simple steps to vote by mail in Minnesota’s August primary election.

Vacations canceled, more people flock to sandbar parties on Minnesota lakes. It’s another ripple effect of COVID-19, showing up on the lakes in Otter Tail County and across Minnesota. With vacations canceled and long-distance travel at a minimum, people are staying close to home — and more boats on the water has meant more complaints about noise and trespassing on private beaches.

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | @ChoiGEE1