Olmsted County Primary Voters Have New Option

Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - For those who won’t be around or don’t want to wait for next Tuesday’s primary election in Minnesota, another option is now available.

It’s called direct balloting and will be available through Aug.10th, which is the final day of early absentee voting.

For local voters, Olmsted County and Rochester have opened a pop-up voting location at the Government Center. Early absentee voting is also available at the Olmsted County Elections Office at 2122 Campus Drive SE in Rochester. Any voter in Olmsted County is welcome to vote at any of these locations. 

Direct balloting early absentee voting will be available at these locations on the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, August 4: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 5: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Thursday, August 6: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Friday, August 7: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, August 8: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Monday, August 10: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., the last day of early absentee voting 

 If you requested a mail ballot, there is still time to get your ballot back and counted. If you have not yet returned your ballot, your options include:

• Dropping the completed ballot off at Olmsted County Elections at 2122 Campus Drive by 3 p.m. on Election Day, August 11.
• Mailing the completed ballot back to Olmsted County Elections – for the August Primary only, ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they are delivered to the election office by 5 p.m. on August 13.
• Voting by in-person absentee ballot up through August 10.
• Voting at your assigned polling location on Election Day.

Note: For this primary only, the State of Minnesota is allowing mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day to be accepted until 5 p.m. on August 13, 2020 (two days after the August 11 Primary). Therefore, it is important to be aware that any results released on August 11 are preliminary and not certified results. Election results are never final until canvassing is completed. 

Sample ballots are an excellent resource for preparing to vote, whether early or on Election Day. Voters can download their sample ballot via the Secretary of State's Office website. A list of all candidates appearing on the ballot for primary can be found, as well as a full example of the ballots that will be in a voter's assigned precinct based on their home address.

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