News Room
Voting in the November 3 General Election Begins September 18
SAINT PAUL – Voting in the November 3 General Election will begin on September 18, 2026 in Minnesota.
On Thursday, September 17, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State provided a briefing to media on the start of absentee voting. A recording of the briefing is available on YouTube.
There are three ways to vote in Minnesota:
- By Mail: Minnesotans can vote by mail by requesting a ballot at mnvotes.gov/absentee starting September 18. About 150,000 Minnesotans live in mail ballot precincts and will be mailed a ballot automatically if they are registered to vote.
To be counted, absentee ballots returned in-person must be received by local election offices by 5 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee ballots returned by mail and mail ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/trackmyballot. - Early In Person: Minnesotans can vote early in person at their local election office during business hours between September 18 and November 2.
Beginning on October 16, voters can cast their ballot into a ballot tabulator using the new early voting process. Learn more about voting early in-person.
Early voting locations will have extended voting hours on the following days:- Saturday, October 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 27 open until 7 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Monday, November 2 open until 5 p.m.
- In-Person on Election Day: Minnesotans can vote in-person at their local polling place on Tuesday, November 3. Find your polling place at mnvotes.gov/pollfinder. All polling places are open until 8 p.m. As long as voters are in line to vote by 8 p.m. they can vote. In Minnesota, people can register to vote on election day. Check your registration online at mnvotes.gov/register.
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 revokes your right to vote. If you are eligible to vote, you can register to vote at mnvotes.gov/register.
Online interactive tools for voters to register to vote, check their registration, request an absentee ballot, and track their absentee or mail ballot are also available in 11 languages.
General voting information is also available in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Lao, Oromo, Khmer, Karen, and Amharic.
Election Call Center
Voters can reach the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or by texting 651-217-3862. Staff are available to answer questions about voting Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Become an Election Judge
Minnesota needs more than 30,000 election judges during every statewide election. Election judges are paid, temporary workers hired by local election offices. Election judges are trained to handle all aspects of voting at the polling place. Learn more about becoming an election judge.
Absentee and Mail Ballot Updates
The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State will provide weekly updates on the number of absentee and mail ballots that have been sent out and accepted starting on Friday, September 25. The information will be posted on the Absentee Data webpage.