MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis said early voting for the 2020 general election is moving at a record pace in the city, just two weeks into the early voting period.
Through Sept. 30, Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services said 19,231 voters had cast a ballot, either by mail or in-person at the city's Early Vote Center. That's more than four times the number of votes cast (4,121) at this point during the last presidential election year in 2016.
Updated numbers released one day later on Oct. 1 show the total number of ballots cast jumped to 27,762.
The majority of the early votes cast so far have been absentee ballots received through the mail or dropped off at the election office.
The city of Minneapolis, in following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), has been urging voters to consider voting early by mail in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city recommends that voters apply for an absentee ballot at least 14 days before the Nov. 3 election, to allow enough time for the ballot to be sent out and returned.
The city also operates an Early Vote Center for Minneapolis residents to cast their ballot in-person. The center is located at 980 E. Hennepin Avenue, open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday (closed on Oct. 12).
Additional extended hours will be added for the final two weeks of early voting prior to the Nov. 3 election, including Saturday and Sunday hours. The city also plans to open two additional Early Vote Centers on Oct. 27: one at the Urban League office at 2100 Plymouth Ave. North, and the other at the Longfellow Park Rec Center at 3435 36th Street S.
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Minneapolis voters can view sample ballots for their precinct on the city's website.