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ST. PAUL - Election Day is here. This is the final day for voters to cast a ballot in the 2026 midterm elections.
As of 9 a.m., Monday, Nov. 2, election officials in Minnesota have accepted 886,427 absentee and mail-in ballots for the midterm election, which ends today.
Of the accepted ballots, 266,580 have been returned by mail and 619,847 ballots were cast in person.
During a press conference Monday, Minnesota Secretary of State (SOS) Steve Simon said this is the highest number of absentee and mail-in ballots cast before an election in a non-presidential election year.
"There is a lot of energy around this election in particular, which is a great thing, and we want to make sure Minnesota have the information they need to make their voices heard tomorrow," Simon said.
About 188,000 ballots have not yet been returned state wide. All ballots must be delivered by Nov. 3 to be counted. Voters who have not returned their absentee ballot may drop it off in person at their local election office until 5 p.m. Voters in mail-in ballot precincts or those who use agent delivery can deliver ballots until 8 p.m. Any ballots delivered by United States Post Office before 8 p.m. will also be counted.
Simon also reminded voters that Minnesota is not a "postmark" state. The ballot must arrive by election day, being postmarked by election day is not enough. If the ballot has not arrived by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, it will not be counted.
Mail-in ballot voters can check if their vote has arrived on mnvotes.gov/track. If a voter is concerned their ballot will not arrive in time, they can choose to vote at their local polling place instead of returning their absentee ballot.
Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Kelly Hotovec the post office will continue to collect mail-in ballots until 8 p.m. but recommends voters not mail ballots on Election Day and instead vote in person.
Hotovec believes overall voter turnout will be relatively high.
"Brown County has always had great voter turnout," she said.
Typically in election, over 70% of eligible voters in Brown County cast a ballot and early voting is up this election cycle. As of Monday, 1,270 Brown County residents have voted early. Out of 4,100 mail-in and absentee ballots, roughly 2,500 have been returned.
Brown County Courthouse was open on Saturday and Sunday for early voters. On Saturday 69 people voted with another 38 voting early on Sunday.
Polling locations across Minnesota will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The following are election polling locations in Brown County: Burnstown Township and North Star Township - Springfield American Legion 5 North O'Connell Avenue, Springfield. City of Comfrey and Bashaw Township - Comfrey Community Center 120 Brown Street East, Comfrey.
Eden Township – Morgan Fire Hall 405 Front Street, Morgan. Leavenworth Township – Leavenworth Town Hall 30741 County Road 24, Sleepy Eye. Milford Township – Milford Town Hall 24924 Main Street, Essig. New Ulm Ward 1 – Precincts 1 & 2 – Redeemer Lutheran Church 700 South Broadway Street, New Ulm. New Ulm Ward 2 – Precincts 1 & 2 – New Ulm Community Center 600 North German Street, New Ulm. New Ulm Ward 3 – Precincts 1 & 2 – Christ the King Lutheran Church 1515 North Garden Street, New Ulm. New Ulm Ward 4 – Precincts 1 & 2 – Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 1400 South State Street, New Ulm. Sleepy Eye – Wards 1 & 2 Sleepy Eye Community Center 115 2nd Avenue Northeast, Sleepy Eye. Springfield – Springfield Community Center 33 South Cass Avenue, Springfield, MN.
Sample ballots can be found at https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot
Election results will be available at mnvotes.gov after polls close at 8 p.m.
Simon said that if a voter is in line to vote before 8 p.m. they can still vote. In addition, Minnesota allows same day voter registration.