Secretary of State provides update on early voting in Minnesota, which begins Friday

ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Starting Friday, you can cast your ballot in Minnesota for the 2024 election. Early in-person voting is set to begin statewide, 46 days before Tuesday, Nov. 5.

On Thursday, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon provided a preview of the start of early voting as his office prepares to accept the very first votes of the election cycle this week.

“By November 5, I want to see high voter turnout and little drama,” Simon said. “A key prerequisite to either outcome is that we make sure Minnesotans have the information they need about our elections.”

This general election cycle is the first for several new laws in the state. Since the last election cycle, the state has implemented things like automatic voter registration and reinstated felons' right to vote. Simon said these new laws are likely to have an impact.

“55,000 people in Minnesota who have left prison can now vote again,” Simon said.

Before the first vote, the Secretary of State's office sought to allay any concerns about the integrity and security of the election, saying that the state was ensuring that the system was tamper-proof.

“We always use paper ballots. Just think about it. There is a lot of misinformation about voting machines and ballot counters, but remember, the best substitute is paper,” he said.

Simon said all voting machines are being tested at the state level and that voting machines will be inspected after the election to ensure they are working properly.

“All local election offices are required by state law to conduct what are known as public accuracy tests of their voting machines to ensure that every part is working properly. Then on election night, each precinct must ensure that as many ballots were cast as there were registered voters,” he said.

“Our Election Security Navigator team works closely with a variety of state and federal agencies, as well as local election offices across Minnesota, to monitor physical and cyber threats to our elections,” said Bill Ekblad, Election Security Navigator in the Secretary’s Office.

Early voting can be done in person or by mail.

Simon warned that mail-in voters should vote as early as possible this year to avoid problems with the U.S. Postal Service.

“We're seeing some delays with the U.S. Postal Service nationwide. That's not the case everywhere, and Minnesota has fared better than many other places across the country, but we just want to make sure that if you plan on voting by mail from home, you request your ballot and mail it back early,” he said.

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