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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | ABSENTEE VOTING BEGINS ACROSS MINNESOTA FOR NOVEMBER 3 GENERAL ELECTION
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 19, 2026). Minnesota voters can now cast absentee ballots for the November 3 general election, opening a 46-day voting period that allows eligible residents to participate before Election Day.
Absentee voting began Friday, September 18. Minnesota voters do not need to provide a reason for voting absentee.
Voters may request a ballot by mail or vote in person at designated county and municipal election offices. Locations and operating hours vary, making it important for voters to verify information with their local election authority before traveling.
Anoka County residents can obtain information through Anoka County Elections, while voters in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park can use the election offices serving Hennepin County and their respective cities. Saint Paul residents can consult Ramsey County Elections.
Minnesota also has more than 1,100 precincts where registered voters automatically receive ballots by mail. State law permits townships and cities with fewer than 400 registered voters to conduct elections primarily through mailed ballots.
Absentee voting is different from the later direct-balloting period commonly described as early voting. During most of the absentee period, ballots are generally completed using absentee envelopes. Direct balloting begins 18 days before Election Day and allows voters at participating locations to place completed ballots directly into a tabulator.
For the 2026 general election, that later period begins October 16 and continues through November 2.
Voters returning ballots by mail should allow enough time for delivery. A ballot must be received by the applicable election authority within the legally prescribed deadline. A postmark by itself does not guarantee that a ballot arriving late will be counted.
Residents can also track the status of an absentee ballot through Minnesota’s election system and confirm whether it was received and accepted.
The November election includes federal, state, county, judicial, school-board and municipal contests, depending on where a voter lives.
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