LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Leading up to Election Day, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he's hopeful for two things: high voter turnout and low drama. Speaking from a polling place in Lakeville Tuesday morning, Simon said that's exactly what he's seeing at polling locations across the state.
When polls opened at 7 a.m. on Election Day, Simon said more than 1.2 Minnesotans had already voted absentee and by mail.
"It's a good day to be a Minnesotan," he said. "We were number one in America for three out of the last four elections including the last presidential election, and we want to get back to number one, back to that top spot, today."
As of Tuesday morning, the Secretary of State's office said about 128,000 absentee ballots had not yet been returned. Simon urged anyone who has not returned their absentee ballot to deliver it in person or have someone they trust to deliver it on their behalf.
Dakota County Director of Elections Michelle Blue said roughly 40% of voters in the county voted early.
Still, the line to vote at the Lakeville Water Treatment Facility was constant and steady Tuesday morning. Despite a soggy start to Election Day, many people stepped outside to cast their ballots — some for the very first time.
"This is my first time voting, so it's really exciting," St. Olaf College student Rylan Nakamura said. "We have a polling place at St. Olaf College, so it made it really accessible and easy, and it was really exciting."
St. Olaf is a campus well-known for encouraging civic engagement. On Oct. 28, the Secretary of State recognized the school for having the highest voter turnout of any college in Minnesota during the previous election.
Simon reiterated that Minnesota's election results should be readily available by Wednesday morning. However, that is likely not the case for several other states.
"It's no surprise that in those battleground states, they will be counting into tomorrow and the next day and maybe the next day," Simon said. "It's not a sign that someone did anything wrong. It's not a sign that there's any unlawful activity. It's a sign that they're following their state laws, and I just want to condition everyone and talk about that in terms of expectations."