Primary Was A Successful Dress Rehearsal For November, Secretary Of State Steve Simon Says

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- This year's primary was, of course, unlike any other in recent times.

The pandemic pushed many to vote by mail. As of Tuesday night, the state had accepted 500,000 absentee ballots.

This year's mail-in ballots surpass the total number of people who voted in the entire 2016 primary -- and that's not counting people who voted in person.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says potentially tens of thousands of absentee ballots will be counted in the next day or two.

Simon visited polling places Tuesday and based on what he viewed and heard from election judges, the election went well.

He called it a successful dress rehearsal for the general election.

"We're on pace to shatter a bunch of records when it comes to people voting from home as well," Simon said. "So, generally, I think high turnout, high interest, high energy, high intensity, what you'd expect in a presidential year in Minnesota."