More than 350,000 Minnesotans cast ballots this past week ahead of the election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, bringing the current total to 919,581, according to the state Secretary of State’s office.

Local election officials have distributed 1,152,900 absentee and mail ballots in the state since voting began on Sept. 20.

“More Minnesotans voted in the past week than during the first four weeks of voting for this election,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, in a statement Thursday. “It’s clear that our state’s long-held commitment to voting and civic engagement remains. For those who have yet to cast their ballot, now is the time to make your plan to vote in-person on or before Election Day.”

Nearly 195,000 ballots have not yet been returned. Voters are asked to return ballots in-person to local election office as soon as possible to make sure their vote is counted.

It is no longer recommended to return a mail or absentee ballot by mail.  All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.  Minnesotans can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/track.

How to vote

To be eligible to vote, a person must be 18 or older by Election Day, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days, not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and not under a court order that revoking a right to vote.

The deadline to register to vote before Election Day was Oct. 15. However, Minnesotans can still register to vote on Election Day.

There are three ways to vote:

• By Mail: Mail and absentee ballots must be received by local election offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Voters can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/trackmyballot.

• Early In-Person: Residents can vote absentee in person at their local election office during business hours between until Nov. 4. There also are special early voting hours on: Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 4 open until 5 p.m.

• In-Person on Election Day: Minnesotans can vote in-person at their local polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polling places can be located at mnvotes.gov/pollfinder. All polling places are open until 8 p.m. If voters are in line to vote by 8 p.m. they can vote. In Minnesota, people can register to vote on Election Day.

If you have questions

Minnesotans may contact the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State by phone call or text message. They can call 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or text 651-217-3862 to get information from election workers. The service is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and during the expanded early voting hours on: Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and on Monday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Local candidate information

Meanwhile, general information about the Nov. 5 election is online at twincities.com/news/politics/elections, where you can find information on candidates for Ramsey, Dakota and Washington county races.

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