Minneapolis residents vote early as Election Day nears

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Some snow and a little bit of a wait aren’t keeping voters away here in Minneapolis.

Tayler Johnson, who voted early Sunday, said she wanted to beat the lines as Election Day nears. She and others are appreciative of a chance to vote early in person on a weekend.

The Minneapolis Early Vote Center has been open for early voting since Sept. 18, but it’s the first time they’ve been open all weekend and they’ll do it again next Saturday and Sunday, too.

“It’s been steady throughout,” said Aaron Grossman, the supervisor of Election Administration in Minneapolis. “People are really excited to cast their vote for this election.”

The Secretary of State’s numbers back that observation. As of Friday, nearly 1.2 million absentee ballots have been returned and accepted, which is nearly double the old record set back in the 2016 General Election.

“This is the time it really starts to pick up historically where the numbers start to go higher and higher as we head toward Election Day,” said Grossman.

Early votes may have to wait a few extra minutes, thanks to COVID-19 precautions.

“The line might look longer just because we’re socially distanced, but we’re moving people through pretty quickly,” Grossman added.

Voters at the center Sunday said the process was smooth and worth some time in the snow.

“Very simple instructions were clear hand sanitizer everywhere if you want it,” said Noah Mirovsky. “Staff very helpful, very friendly, clearly know what they’re about no complaints.”

The last day to vote early in person in the state is Monday, Nov. 2. More in-person voting locations will be open around the Twin Cities metro this coming week make sure to check with your local elections office to find out the places and the times.