- PAUL, Minn. — Minnesotans can begin casting ballots Friday in the Nov. 3 general election, giving voters 46 days to vote before Election Day.
Beginning Sept. 18, eligible voters can cast an absentee ballot in person at designated locations or request a ballot to vote by mail, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
Minnesota does not require voters to provide a reason for voting absentee.
The start of voting comes just over a month after the Aug. 11 primary narrowed fields for races across the state, including contests for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, the Minnesota Legislature and local offices.
All Minnesota voters will have races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, state Senate, state House and judicial seats on their ballots.
Depending on where they live, voters may also have county, municipal, school board and other local races.
How to vote before Election Day
Voters who want to cast a ballot in person can do so at their local election office, or another designated absentee voting location.
During the first part of the voting period, voters will complete an absentee ballot application, receive and mark their ballot and return it to an election official in an envelope. A ballot board later reviews the envelope.
Beginning Oct. 16, Minnesota will use a new early voting process for the first time in a statewide general election. Under that system, voters at early voting locations will complete a short certificate, receive their ballot and insert the completed ballot directly into a ballot counter, similar to voting at a polling place on Election Day.
Early voting continues through Monday, Nov. 2.
The state has also established extended voting hours ahead of Election Day, including weekend hours Oct. 24, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Voting by mail
Minnesotans can also request an absentee ballot and have it mailed to them.
The Secretary of State’s Office recommends requesting a mail ballot by Oct. 20 to allow enough time for it to be delivered and returned.
Absentee ballots returned by mail must be received by election officials by 8 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark by Election Day is not sufficient. Absentee ballots returned in person must reach the local election office by 5 p.m. Nov. 3.
Voters can track the status of their absentee ballot through the Secretary of State’s website.
About 150,000 Minnesotans live in mail-ballot precincts and will automatically receive ballots if they are registered to vote, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Registering to vote
Minnesota voters can register or update their voter registration before the election. The advance registration deadline is Oct. 13.
Voters who miss that deadline can still register when they vote, including at their polling place on Election Day, if they provide the required proof of residence.
To vote in Minnesota, a person must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old by Election Day, have lived in Minnesota for at least 20 days, not be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction and not be under a court order revoking the right to vote.
What Mshale is watching
Mshale has been following several state and local contests heading into the Nov. 3 election, including races in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center and legislative contests in the northwest Twin Cities suburbs.
Brooklyn Park voters will choose a mayor and City Council members from the East, Central and West districts. In neighboring Brooklyn Center, voters will elect a mayor and two at-large City Council members.
Mshale has also been following House District 38A, where DFL Rep. Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley faces Republican Charlie Kistler after Momanyi Hiltsley won a three-way DFL primary in August.
Voters can view a sample ballot, check their registration, find voting locations, request an absentee ballot and track a mailed ballot at mnvotes.gov.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling places will remain open until 8 p.m., and voters who are in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.
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About Mshale Staff
The byline “By Mshale Staff” is used for stories that involve limited or no original reporting by our newsroom. These stories are often based on press releases or information provided by official sources, including corporations, government agencies and public institutions. The byline also may be used for reports compiled from multiple contributors, wire services, previously published material or aggregated sources when listing individual authors is impractical. Outside sources are generally identified within the story.
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