How to Vote Early in Minnesota

Knowing what is on your ballot before you vote is the difference between a five minute trip and a twenty minute one. The Minnesota Voting Information Portal shows you your full ballot from your street address.

1. Go to the Minnesota Voting Information Portal.
2. Start typing your street address. Pick your address from the dropdown that appears. The lookup will not accept a typed-out address that you have not selected from the list.
3. Select Search.
4. Open What's on My Ballot, then select View Sample Ballot to print or save it.

The same result page also gives you your Election Day polling place, your precinct, and your districts.

Voters in the Mankato area will see races for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative District 1, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, state legislative seats such as Senate District 18 and House District 18B, county commissioner, and Constitutional Amendment 1. Your exact list depends on your address.

Every Minnesota county has at least one location where you can vote before Election Day, and it serves all residents of that county.

From September 18 (in-person absentee): You fill out an absentee application at the counter, get your ballot, mark it there, and hand it back. It goes into a signature envelope for a ballot board to review later. Bring your Minnesota ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, because the application asks for it.

From October 16 (Early Voting): You sign a short certificate, get your ballot, and put it into the ballot counter yourself.

You can register at the same visit if you bring proof of residence.

Blue Earth County locations

• Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse, 204 S 5th Street, Mankato. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Bethany Lutheran College Activity Center, 905 Marsh St., Mankato. One day only, Tuesday October 20, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Nicollet, Le Sueur, Waseca, Watonwan, Brown, Martin, Faribault, and Freeborn counties each publish their own locations on the state's list of voting locations before Election Day. Check yours before you drive, or contact your county election office.

You do not need a reason to vote by mail in Minnesota, and you do not need to be registered to apply for a ballot.

1. Apply online. You need an email address and either a Minnesota ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you have both, enter both.
2. Or download a paper application, fill it out, and return it to your county election office by mail, email, or fax. The form is also available in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Lao, Oromo, Khmer, and Amharic.
3. Apply by Tuesday, October 20 if you are applying online. Allow three weeks if you are using the paper form.
4. When the ballot arrives, find a witness before you open and mark it. Your witness can be any U.S. citizen who will be 18 by Election Day, or a notary. They need to see your blank ballot.
5. Mark your ballot in private, put it in the envelopes as the instructions direct, and fill out the white signature envelope. You and your witness both sign it.
6. Return it. Mail it early, drop it at the office that sent it, or use a ballot drop box.

The deadline that catches people out: your ballot must be received by election officials by Election Day. A November 3 postmark does not count. Within a week of the election, drop it off instead of mailing it.

Do not bring an absentee ballot to a polling place on Election Day. Drop-off closes at 5 p.m. on Election Day. Someone else may drop off ballots for up to three voters, and they will need ID showing their name and signature. If getting to a polling place is hard for health reasons, look at agent delivery.

You can watch the whole thing move with the state's Track Your Ballot tool, from the day it was mailed to the day it was accepted.

Check first. If you have moved or changed your name since you last voted, your registration needs updating. The state's registration lookup asks for your name, date of birth, and ZIP code, and tells you whether your registration is current.

To register or update online

Register online with a Minnesota driver's license, learner's permit, or state ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number, plus an email address. You can also use a paper form.

To be eligible you must be

• A U.S. citizen
• At least 18 on Election Day, though 16 and 17 year olds can pre-register
• A Minnesota resident for 20 days
• Not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction
• Not under a court order that revokes your right to vote

The Who Can Vote page has the full detail on eligibility.

If you miss the deadline, you can still vote

Minnesota has same-day registration. You can register at your polling place on Election Day, or at an early voting location before it, as long as you bring one proof of residence. Any one of these works:

• A valid Minnesota driver's license, learner's permit, or ID with your current name and address, or a receipt for one
• An approved photo ID, which may be expired, plus a document showing your current name and address. The document can be a utility, phone, internet, banking, rent, or mortgage bill dated within 30 days of the election, a current lease, or a current student fee statement, and it can be shown on your phone
• A registered voter from your precinct who comes with you and signs an oath confirming your address
• A student photo ID, if your college sent the election office a student housing list that includes you

Minnesota also automatically registers eligible adults when they get a state-issued ID, and a USPS change of address can update your registration.