Minnesota Secretary of State Defends Election System

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's top elections official says voters should have confidence in the state's ballot-counting system.

Secretary of State Steve Simon defended Minnesota's election system this week as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested widespread voter fraud and called the election "rigged." Trump refused to say whether he would accept the results of the election during Wednesday night's final presidential debate.

Simon says Minnesota's de-centralized election is its best feature. Ballots are tallied at the local level by officials in all 87 counties. Simon also points to Minnesota's high turnout as evidence that voters trust the system.

Voting is underway in Minnesota thanks to a new law that allows residents to vote absentee for any reason. More than 146,000 absentee votes have already been collected.