Minnesota Early Voting Off To Faster Start Than Last Midterm

SAINT PAUL, MN — Minnesota voters are getting their hands on ballots at a quicker clip than they did during the last midterm election, according to new figures from the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office.

In the first six days of voting for the Nov. 3 general election, which began Sept. 18, local election officials distributed 384,995 absentee and mail ballots, the office said Thursday. That's roughly 34 percent more than the 286,324 ballots sent out during the first week of voting in the 2022 general election.

As of the update, 8,403 Minnesotans had voted early in person and 3,919 had returned their ballots by mail, for a combined 12,322 ballots cast. During the first week of voting in 2022, 11,380 Minnesotans cast ballots in person or by mail.

"Voting season is here and Minnesotans are ready to cast their ballots," Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement.

Simon noted that voters still have more than 40 days until Election Day and encouraged them to make a plan at mnvotes.gov, where they can register, view a sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, track their ballot and find their polling place.

The Secretary of State's Office will update absentee voting data each week through the fall.

How To Vote In Minnesota

Minnesotans have three ways to cast a ballot this fall.

By mail: Voters can request an absentee ballot online at mnvotes.gov/absentee.

About 150,000 Minnesotans live in mail ballot precincts and will automatically be mailed a ballot if they are registered.

Absentee ballots returned in person must reach local election offices by 5 p.m. on Election Day, while absentee ballots returned by mail and mail ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. that day. Voters can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/trackmyballot.

Early in person: Voters can cast a ballot at their local election office during business hours through Nov. 2.

Starting Oct. 16, early voters will be able to feed their ballots directly into a ballot tabulator under the state's new early voting process.

Early voting locations will also offer extended hours on these days:

Saturday, Oct. 24: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: Open until 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2: Open until 5 p.m.

On Election Day: Polling places are open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and anyone in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Voters can find their polling place at mnvotes.gov/pollfinder. Minnesota also allows voters to register at the polls on Election Day.

Who can vote: To be eligible, Minnesotans must be at least 18 by Election Day, a U.S. citizen and a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days. They also cannot be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction or under a court order revoking their right to vote.

Voters can check their registration or register online at mnvotes.gov/register.

Online tools to register, check registration, request an absentee ballot and track a ballot are available in 11 languages. General voting information is also offered in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Lao, Oromo, Khmer, Karen and Amharic.

Voters with questions can call the Secretary of State's Office at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or text 651-217-3862. Staff are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.