(ABC 6 News) – Since 2020, some voters in small voting precincts across Minnesota have been voting by mail only. But now, there’s a push to change that in one local county.

Voters in a handful of precincts in Wabasha County say they experienced a lot issues voting by mail only. Some say they received multiple ballots by mistake and others feel the slow down of the postal system cannot ensure their ballot being counted on time.

Nine precincts have been voting only by mail with no polling places available for voters the last two elections. If they didn’t want to mail their ballots back to the county, they’d have to make the drive to the county building in Wabasha.

That’s what brought people in five of those precincts to push for change, petitioning door to door to go back to voting in person.

“And they were so happy that we were going around because this is something they’ve wanted for a long time,” said Karen Graves, a 30-year election judge veteran in Wabasha County. “Some of them have been voting by mail for three years now.”

Rhonda Wingert votes in the Oakwood Township, just north of Plainview. Her petition gathered 155 signatures out of 193 registered voters, for Oakwood to have the option to go back to voting in person for 2024; an overwhelming majority of 80.3%.

“It was several of us that went out to Oakwood Township residents and asked them how they like the voting by mail and if they’d like to go in person,” Wingert said.

Eventually the petition was brought before the Oakwood Township Board, but the board decided not to vote in favor of those petitioners.

“They actually, I believe, were shocked by how many signatures was obtained. They put us on the agenda, and we asked them what’s the status and they basically said ‘we’re ready to vote on it.’ But it was clear in the meeting they were ready to vote ‘no.’ It was the cost and lack of election judges was their two main concerns,” said Wingert.

For now, those voters will have to continue to vote by mail-only for the 2024 election. Leaving those who tried like Wingert, all the more frustrated.

“We did all this work for three months and did not get the satisfaction of at least giving it a good hard look and do their homework,” Wingert said.

Out of the five precincts that petitioned to get in-person voting, only two have succeeded so far: Elgin and Hyde Park.

The Minnesota Secretary of State office, provided the following statement on the switches of mail only ballots to in person voting, in Wabasha County.

“Localities can change their voting methods as they see fit. Any Minnesotan can vote from home, even if they are not in a mail ballot precinct, using a no-excuse absentee ballot in the 46-day window before an election. Voting by mail is secure, trustworthy and has been an option used by millions of Minnesota voters. Mail ballots are sent and received by local elections officials. They are tracked to ensure only one ballot is mailed and counted per eligible voter.”

Wabasha county has the third most precincts that vote by mail only in southeast Minnesota, behind Mower County at 10.7% and Fillmore at 15.8%