Minnesotans will be voting on Tuesday to decide who is on the November ballot for gubernatorial and attorney general elections.
The early voting process, both in person and by mail, has been ongoing for several weeks. If you have not voted yet, you don’t need to. You can still drop off your ballot at the postal office or vote in person at your polling station.
How to find it and other information you need to vote in the primary.
Where can I vote?
You might not vote in the same place as you used to. Sometimes, polling places change. This year, more may have changed than in years past because of redistricting.
Blue Earth County is an example of this. Because lines in the county were being redrawn to reflect population changes, some polling locations had to be rearranged. Mankato, the county seat and the population center, saw an increase in population, especially in the northeast, according to Michael Stalberger (the county’s property- and environmental resource director).
Mankato acquired two new polling locations, repurposed them to serve multiple precincts, and closed others because they were not centrally located, or for other reasons such as being in long-term care facilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the case at many precincts in the state. That’s why election officials encourage voters to double-check the places they registered and where they are going to vote.
All registered voters should have received a recent postcard that listed their polling place. To find the information you need, enter your address in the Secretary of State’s Polling Place Locator.
“It is always a good idea to check mnvotes.org to confirm your voting place. David Triplett, Ramsey County’s manager of elections, said that you might have voted at the exact same place over the past decade. However, this could have been different. You must vote at the polling place you have been assigned on Election Day. Make sure to confirm this before you go .”
What’s in my ballot?
Anyone in Minnesota can vote at the statewide primaries to elect a governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Depending on where you live, what else may be on your ballot may vary. It may include Legislative, Congressional and local races. To see a duplicate of your ballot, you can go to the website of Secretary of State.
Where can I find out more information about the candidates?
MinnPost has created Who’s Running sections for statewide and Congressional offices. These can be used to help you identify the candidates and link to their websites. You can also read about candidates’ positions in news coverage and view policy positions on candidate websites.
What should I know about filling in the ballot?
Yes. You’ll see four columns on the front of your primary ballot — one for each state’s major parties — DFL, GOP, Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis, Legal Marijuana Now, and the GOP.
Only one party can vote, so you must only vote in the one column.
Flip your ballot. You’ll find additional races if there are non-partisan races in your locality or if there is a primary and a special election in your area.
Can anybody tell me which party I voted for?
Nope. Only you, unless other people tell you. A rule change allows the major parties to access lists of voters who voted in which party primaries in Minnesota’s presidential primaries. However, no one can find out which party primary you voted for in this primary or any other non-presidential primaries.
Help! Help!
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to voting or have moved but not changed your address on your voter registry, you still have the right to vote in Minnesota Tuesday through same-day voter register
You have a few options to prove your identity to be able to register the same day. One option is to bring a valid ID that has your name and address. You can also find other options here.
Is it possible to still submit my absentee ballot or was the deadline passed?
You can still count your vote if you have requested an absentee poll and completed it, but you have not yet mailed it in or dropped it off. You have two options: you can either vote in person at your polling station until 8 p.m., or you can drop off your absentee at the election office that sent it to you (not at your polling location). A trusted person can also drop off your ballot at the elections office. However, they will need to present ID and their signature. According to the Secretary of State’s website, it must arrive by Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
You can check the status of your ballot here if you have sent it back a few days ago. Triplett stated that as long as the ballot reaches the elections office before 8 p.m. it will be counted. This is different from 2020 when the ballots could have arrived a few days late if they were not postmarked by Election Day.
I have some questions?
Most voter questions can be answered online by the Secretary of State or county election websites. You can also contact your local election office.
Stalberger stated that we get many phone calls from people with questions or concerns about the election process. These calls can take a long time but we love them. We are happy to share our process with people. We encourage anyone with questions to contact us .”
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