As time ticks down to Election Day, what you need to know about voting

Monday marks the final day to vote early in Minnesota.

So far, more than 1.6 million Minnesotans have already had their absentee ballots accepted, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.

A record number of people are expected to vote in this year’s general election and state health officials, as well as elections officials, are encouraging voters to consider voting early, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that Minnesota absentee ballots arriving after Election Day should be separated from other ballots, officials are urging voters to drop off their completed ballots at various drop-off spots throughout the Twin Cities.

In the Twin Cities, there are 13 mail ballot drop-off locations that are staffed in Minneapolis specifically. There are also drop-off options at city elections offices in other Hennepin County cities. There are also 15 ballot drop-off locations in Ramsey County.

After appeals court ruling, Twin Cities election officials urge voters to drop off completed early ballots

"The bottom line is it’s too late to mail your ballot," Larry Jacobs, a political analyst at the University of Minnesota, said. "If you’re one of the 720,000 who requested a ballot and have not turned it in, you need to show up in person to deliver that ballot to one of the local election offices, or just show up on Nov. 3, Election Day, and cast the ballot the old-fashioned way."

A complete list of drop-off sites and in-person early voting sites, by county, can be found via the Minnesota Secretary of State’s site here.

You can also vote in-person on Election Day Tuesday. You can locate your polling place here. Polling places are usually open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

KSTP’s complete 2020 election coverage