City Of Minneapolis: Early Voting Begins For Nov. 2 Election

Press release from the City of Minneapolis:

September 17, 2021

Early voting has begun for the Nov. 2 municipal election. Ballots may be cast early by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 980 East Hennepin Ave.

Beginning today, the City is mailing 3,596 requested mail-in ballots to Minneapolis voters – a record for a municipal election. The last municipal election in 2017 had 897 ballot requests prior to the start of early voting, and 3,369 requests throughout the election cycle. That means this year’s election has already had more mail-in ballot requests than in all of 2017.

Voters who applied should allow 7-10 days for their ballot to arrive.

All mail ballots need to be received by Election Day (Nov. 2) for them to count. If voters choose to deliver their ballot in-person to the Elections & Voter Services office, it still must be returned by 3 p.m. on Nov. 2. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.

More information on how to vote by mail is available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.

Voting at the Early Vote Center

Voting at the Early Vote Center

The Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., makes early in-person voting more convenient for Minneapolis voters. It’s especially helpful to people who need language support or other special accommodations, such as curbside voting. While we are in a pandemic, voting early can help people avoid lines and crowds at polling places on the day of the election.

The Early Vote Center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center will have extended hours for the final two weeks of voting, including Saturday and Sunday hours. All Early Vote Center hours are on the Elections & Voter Services website: vote.minneapolismn.gov.

Voters can save time by taking these three steps

Voters can save time by taking these three steps

State law allows voters to bring materials into the polls to help complete their ballots — and the sample ballot is the single, best tool available for this purpose. By downloading and printing their sample ballots (which are customized to their specific ward and precinct), voters can practice marking their ballots. They can bring this marked-up sample ballot as a reference to the voting booth when completing their official ballots. This is the best way to reduce the time spent waiting in lines.

This press release was produced by the City of Minneapolis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.