Election Day live updates: Voters turn out as polls open across Minnesota
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Editor’s note: MPR News staff will be updating this story throughout the day with election news, reports from the polls and voter voices. Check back for updates.
Get ready to vote, Minnesota. Election Day is here and polls open at 7 a.m. across the state.
Some smaller towns with less than 500 residents are allowed to open their polls later at 10 a.m., but most choose to open at 7 a.m.
Find information about candidates on your ballot and more election resources at MPR News’ Your Vote MN.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
4 a.m.: What’s at stake on Election Day 2024
Minnesota voters are picking their preferred candidates for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and state House. Voters will decide which party will control both chambers of the state Legislature. All state House seats are on the ballot this year, and a special state Senate election will determine which party breaks the 33-33 tie in that chamber.
A statewide constitutional amendment is also on all Minnesotans’ ballots. Voters are being asked to renew a measure that allocates 40 percent of the state’s lottery revenues into a trust fund aimed at protecting the state’s environment and natural resources for another 25 years.
County, municipal and school board races are taking place in many communities across the state. And although they generated less attention, races for three state Supreme Court seats, positions on the Court of Appeals and many local judgeships are also on the ballot. Use MPR News’ Build Your Ballot tool to learn which races are on your ballot about the candidates vying for your vote.
While Minnesota’s governor seat is not on the ballot until the 2026 election, the state could see a change in its top leader if Gov. Tim Walz is elected vice president alongside Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
If that happens, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would serve the remainder of Walz’s term — which runs into January 2027 — and she would become the state’s first woman to hold the top spot and the first Native American woman to serve as governor in the country.
Under the line of succession, the Minnesota Senate president would move up into the lieutenant governor role. Currently, that’s four-term DFL Sen. Bobby Joe Champion of Minneapolis. The DFL could also opt to elect a new president if Champion decided he didn’t want the lieutenant governor’s post.
But, depending on the outcome of the special state Senate race in District 45, Minnesota Senate Republicans could put one of their own in the role or choose a Democrat from a swing seat. Much of it would depend on the timing of the Walz resignation.
— Anna Haecherl
4 a.m.: Voting resources
Not sure if you are registered to vote? Check your voter registration status by filling out the secretary of state’s voter registration form online.
You can register to vote on Election Day at your polling place.
Find your polling place by entering your zip code or county, and then your city and address.
Bring along proof of residence to confirm your registration. A valid Minnesota driver’s license or ID, or a photo ID and a document confirming your current address (like a utility bill or rental lease).
Have a registered voter from your precinct go with you to the polling place to sign an oath confirming your address.
College students can register with a photo ID and a student housing list.
View the entire list of proof of residence documents allowed by the Minnesota Secretary of State.
If you do not have a permanent address and live outside, in a shelter or are staying at a friend’s house, you can still register and vote. Learn more on the Secretary of State website.
Wondering who is on your ballot? Use MPR News’ Build Your Ballot tool to learn about the candidates vying for your vote.
If you voted early by mail, you can verify the status of your ballot with the secretary of state’s absentee ballot tracker.
If returning you ballot by mail, it must be received by Election Day or it will not be counted. You can return your ballot in person no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day to the election office that sent your ballot. You cannot drop your ballot off at your polling place.
If you have received an absentee ballot but are unsure if it will arrive at your election office in time to be counted, or if you have changed your mind, you can still cast a ballot in person by voting in your polling place — as long as your absentee ballot hasn’t been counted by your election officials. After voting in person, the unique ballot ID number on your original absentee ballot will be invalidated.
Find more information on voting and answers to frequently asked voting questions in our guide to voting in Minnesota.
— Anna Haecherl
4 a.m.: More than 1.1 million Minnesotans voted early
The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office reported more than 1,170,000 voters already cast their ballots as of Monday. That’s double the number of early votes in the 2016 presidential election.
Secretary of State Steve Simon said a few factors have contributed to the early voting spike.
“People have acquired a taste for it, who maybe did it during the pandemic. That’s my guess. And just the word has gotten out more among people that this is even a thing, this is something that they can do and that they’re eligible to do,” simon said.
It also means that more than a quarter of Minnesotans that are eligible to vote had already done so as of Monday.
Hennepin County election officials said on Monday they had received more than 300,000 absentee ballots so far. That’s the second-most ever, only behind the 2020 election.
Ginny Gelms, director of Hennepin County elections, said it was “a little bit too early to tell” if that turnout indicated higher turnout overall for the election, or just a shift to voting absentee.
— Ellie Roth and Estelle Timar-Wilcox