Will Minnesota's Political Races Be Called On Election Night?

TWIN CITIES, MN — In two weeks, Minnesotans will head to the polls to cast their ballots for the presidential, federal, state and local elections. A record-breaking number of residents, however, have already voted early by mail or in person.

Secretary of State Steve Simon has continuously encouraged Minnesotans this election cycle to vote early amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mailed-in ballots postmarked by Election Day — Nov. 3 — and that arrive by Nov. 10 will be counted.

However, that may mean many votes won't be counted until days after election night.

"When citizens see that on election night we don’t have 100 percent of the results in, it is literally by design. This is the plan." Secretary of State Steve Simon said in an online news conference in October.

"It’s not evidence that anyone is hiding or concealing or rigging or stealing. It’s evidence of the actual plan." So if all of the state's races aren't called by the end of the night, do not be alarmed or surprised.

The good news — from an administrative standpoint — is that on Tuesday, election officials can start counting all of the ballots already submitted. State lawmakers this year decided to allow early ballot counting to begin 14 days out from Election Day.

Other states, such as Pennsylvania, don't allow the counting to begin until Election Day.

Minnesotans break early voting records

Voters in the state continue to smash previous records for early voting.

Minnesota voters can apply for their absentee ballots using the online absentee ballot request tool.

However, with Election Day around the corner, it's not a guarantee that your ballot will arrive in time. To be safe, mail in your ballot as soon as possible.