People fill out voter registration forms at a memorial site for George Floyd on June 3, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Stringer/Getty Images Voting rights advocates fear a Thursday federal appeals court ruling could prevent thousands of mail-in votes from counting in Minnesota. Five days before the 2020 presidential election, the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled Thursday evening that late absentee ballots must be separated from those received by Election Day. To avoid any issues, people who have already mailed their absentee ballot should check its status on the Secretary of State's website, Coleman said. Those who haven't yet voted should drop their absentee ballot in a drop-box or vote in person instead.