Over 19,000 Minneapolis Voters Have Cast Their Ballots Early

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It's been almost two weeks since early voting began in Minnesota, and in that time, the city of Minneapolis says over 19,000 people have cast their ballots.

Through Sept. 30, Elections and Voter Services says they have mailed out 133,422 requested ballots, of which 12,236 have been returned. Some choose to return their ballots by mail, while other drop them off to election officials. An additional 4,842 voters have cast their ballot in person at the Early Vote Center, and 2,243 ballots have been received by Hennepin County Elections.

For comparison, the city saw 60,538 early votes cast in the 2016 general election. At this point four years ago, 12,754 requested mail ballots had been sent out, of which 2,559 had been returned.

Because of the pandemic, this year the CDC is encouraging those who can to vote early by mail. The city recommends applying for mail ballots by Oct. 20, two weeks before the Nov. 3 election. The ballot will count as long as it is postmarked on or before election day and is received no later than seven days after election day.

Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, two additional Early Vote Centers will open for Minneapolis voters only. One will be at Urban League Twin Cities at 2100 Plymouth Ave. N, while the other will be at Longfellow Park Recreation Center, at 3435 36th St. S.