More Voting Early In Minneapolis Than Ever Before

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- More people are voting early in Minneapolis than ever before.

Minneapolis elections and voter services director Grace Wachlarowicz said the numbers have grown since early voting was introduced four years ago.

"We have already processed -- whether it's in-person or by mail -- close to 15,000," she said Monday morning, the day the city's early poll places began extended hours. "That is the number we had for the presidential election in 2012, so, we still have a couple weeks to go yet. It's dramatically increasing."

The numbers are expected to continue to grow, now that there's more time to vote at the early polling places.

"The first time we did it was in 2014, and it was successful," Wachlarowicz said. "We saw an increase in voter participation during the extended hours. For a presidential election, we thought it was important to continue it."

Wachlarowicz said with people's busy schedules, there needs to be various options to make it easier for people to vote.

"The American people deserve flexibility and opportunity to vote," she said. "With our culture changing with people working 24/7, the traditional day timeline is not always conducive to everyone. We do have to have flexibility.

"We are trying to serve our voters in whatever way we can so they can cast that ballot."

Four early voting places in Minneapolis are now open an hour earlier, with doors opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. on weekdays for the last two weeks before the election. On Saturdays, the early voting polls are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

The main early voting station in Minneapolis is at 217 South Third Street, one block from City Hall. There are satellite early polling places at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, 1860 East 28th Street, and 2516 Central Avenue Northeast.