MINNESOTA, USA — Starting Friday, early in-person voting begins for Minnesota's presidential primary.
If you like to vote in person but hate the lines, this is a great option. Voting locations are open during posted hours, and additionally 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on March 2.
Early voting for the presidential primary runs from Jan. 19 to March 4.
To find your county's early voting locations, go to the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
In Minneapolis, you can go to Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services or Hennepin County Government Center. Most other cities in Hennepin County host early voting at their city hall or government center.
In Ramsey County, there is one early voting center at the Ramsey County Elections-Plato Building in St. Paul. There are additional centers in Roseville, Shoreview and Maplewood.
If voting via mail-in ballot is more your speed, apply online on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. You need a witness while you complete your ballot — it can either be a registered Minnesota voter or a notary. Once you're done, make sure you mail or drop off the ballot on time. It will not count if it is received after Election Day.
Worried about it arriving? You can track your ballot on the Minnesota Secretary of State site.
"Voting from home is highly secure," Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a press briefing Thursday. "When you order that ballot to come to you in this election or any election in Minnesota, you have to provide some personal identifying information. It can be part of a social security number, it can be a driver's license number … and the voter signs and a witness signs. Unless all three of those things are there it will not be counted."
Those who don't vote early can vote at your polling place on presidential primary day. You can pre-register for that through Feb. 13 or register at the polling place when you vote. You'll need one proof of residence like a valid Minnesota driver's license.
Voters must be 18 by March 5 to cast a ballot in the presidential primary.
Simon says the biggest overall challenge this election season is likely to be the spread of disinformation. He says artificial intelligence and deep-fake content adds to the threat of disinformation, but says Minnesota is ahead of the curve because the legislature last year passed a law making it unlawful within 90 days of an election to disseminate a deep-fake image without the consent of the depicted person - if it was made with intent to influence an election.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: