How to vote early in Minnesota's November 3 general election
Early voting beings Friday, October 16th
Starting October 16th, Minnesotans can walk into an early voting site and vote like normal, more than two weeks before Election Day.
This is the first general election under Minnesota's new Early Voting process, and it runs through Monday, November 2.
If you've voted absentee in person before, most of the steps will be familiar. The difference is what happens to your ballot once you've filled it out.
Below is how early voting in Minnesota's general election works, what to bring, and where to go if you live in Benton, Sherburne, or Stearns County.
Two ways to vote in person before Election Day
Minnesota now has two in-person options before November 3.
Early Voting puts your ballot directly into the counter
Early Voting is the process that lets you cast your ballot directly into a ballot counter before Election Day. You check in, receive a ballot, mark it, and feed it into the machine yourself.
This option is available for the first time in 2026. For statewide elections, every county has at least one location that offers it.
In-person absentee voting seals your ballot in an envelope
In-person absentee voting has been open since September 18. It works the same way as getting a ballot in the mail, except you do it at the election office. You fill out an absentee application, vote, and seal your ballot in an envelope. Election officials review it before it's counted.
From October 16 on, people voting in person before Election Day can opt to use Early Voting,if their location is a designated Early Voting location.
What's on your ballot this November
This November, Minnesotans are electing a governor, secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, state senators, state representatives, and judges, along with U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats. Depending on where you live, there may also be county, city, or school board races below those.
You can look up your exact ballot ahead of time with the Secretary of State's poll finder, which also lists your polling place. Reading it at home first gives you time to look into the judicial races and local contests, which tend to get the least news coverage.
Registering at an early voting site
The deadline to register online or by mail closed October 13. You can still register when you vote early in person, as long as you bring proof of residence.
Under Minnesota's registration rules, common ways to prove residence include:
A valid Minnesota driver's license, learner's permit, or ID card showing your current address
A photo ID along with a bill or other document showing your current name and address
A registered voter from your precinct who can vouch for you
This also applies if you've moved or changed your name since you last voted. In either case, you'll need to update your registration at the early voting site.
Finding early voting locations in Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties
Each county runs its own early voting, so locations and hours depend on where you live. St. Cloud sits in all three counties, so check which county your address is in before you go.
Start with your county's elections page:
Check whether a site carries your ballot before you make the drive. During the August primary, some Stearns County city halls offered ballots only to voters in their own precincts, while other sites served the whole county. Counties also added Saturday hours close to the primary, so look for weekend and evening hours as November 3 gets closer.
If you already have a mail ballot at home
If you asked for a mail ballot and haven't sent it back, you don't have to put it in the mail. You can return it in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day to the election office that sent it, and you can drop off ballots for up to three other voters while you're there. Your polling place on Election Day can't accept it.
Some counties and cities also have official ballot drop boxes, which you can use only in the county or city where you live. If you do mail it, your ballot must arrive by Election Day, so dropping it off yourself is more dependable this late in the season.
You can check where your ballot is with the ballot tracker. If yours was damaged or lost, you can get a replacement ballot in person or by mail.
How Minnesota protects early ballots
Every early ballot is a paper ballot and goes through the same testing and auditing as a ballot cast on Election Day. We explained how that works in our primary early voting guide, and all of it applies in November too.
Make your plan to vote early
Early Voting is open now through November 2. These links cover each step:
Find your early voting site and sample ballot: pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us
Check your registration: sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/register-to-vote
Track a mail ballot: Ballot tracker
Questions: Call the Secretary of State's office at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or contact your county election office.
If you'd like to help neighbors get to the polls in these last few weeks, visit the SD14 DFL volunteer hub.
