Are those Minnesota absentee voting forms in your mailbox legit?

MINNEAPOLIS — As Election Day nears, it's likely your mailbox is filled with letters and mailers encouraging you to vote , sometimes for a specific party or just in general.

But a certain type caught our attention. A WCCO employee got a form in the mail to register for an absentee ballot. It came from the Center for Voter Information with a St. Paul address.

The form inside already has your name and address, but it requires you to add your driver's license or ID number as well as your Social Security number. It even includes a paid envelope to send directly to your local election office.

It seems legitimate, but the request for personal information, along with not knowing what the Center for Voter Information is, can be troubling for some.

WCCO contacted Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to verify the organization and form they sent.

"You don't even necessarily have to agree with whatever group it is, but if you are interested in voting absentee by mail, you can fill it out and it is a legitimate application," Simon said. "It's legitimate in the sense that if you fill it out you will be sent an absentee ballot at your request. So while I can understand it's a little jarring to get something in the mail that you didn't ask for and you're not even sure who sent it to you, it's a legal thing. But it's not a required thing."

If you do want an absentee ballot but mailing your personal information makes you uncomfortable, especially through an organization you've never heard of, you can fill out an application online at mnvotes.gov/absentee . You can also grab one in person at your local election office.

Absentee voting saw a huge increase in the 2020 presidential election during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Minnesota, nearly 58% of ballots cast that year were absentee, either by mail or in person before election day.

Four years prior, only 23% of ballots cast were absentee.

If you do plan to mail in an absentee ballot, it must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

Simon recommends voters mail them at least a week before Election Day. They can also be dropped off directly at your local election office.

Early voting in Minnesota began on Friday .