Minnesota Voter Turnout Surpasses 78% And Could Grow As Ballots Counted

From the Minnesota Reformer:

By Ricardo Lopez

November 4, 2020

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Wednesday said preliminary data shows more than 3.2 million Minnesotans voted during this election out of more than 4.1 million eligible voters, a turnout of 78.1%.

That figure easily surpasses the state’s 2016 voter turnout and is the highest since 2008, when turnout was 78.11%.

Simon said the figure could grow as counties continue counting absentee ballots and that it was possible the state could reach 80% voter turnout.

“That’s a rolling total,” Simon said. “I think that’s going to go up and up as more votes are added to the total.”

In a briefing with reporters Wednesday, Simon, the state’s top elections official, said Tuesday’s vote went smoothly, calling it a “textbook election.”

He also said the state had not seen any new litigation, just days after GOP groups were successful in forcing the state to separate late-arriving ballots that could be potentially invalidated.

The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell..