Contact: Ginny Gelms, Hennepin County
elections manager, 612-348-9289 Carolyn
Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969
Hennepin County voters place ballots directly
into counting machines
Hennepin County eligible
voters can now directly place their ballots into a ballot counter when voting
in-person the week before any election.
Voting machines will record votes as they are turned in
August 2-8, but will not report results until after polls close on State
Primary Day, which is August 9.
This is possible after the
Minnesota State Legislature passed a new law in 2016. Previously, in-person
absentee voters placed their ballots into a series of envelopes.
This new system provides many
benefits to voters:
- Vote at a convenient time
- Have confidence that a
ballot is immediately counted
- Verify ballot was properly
filled out and accepted by the counting machine
-
Avoid hassle of placing absentee
ballots in series of envelopes
This change also helps
election officials by providing:
- Faster results reporting
on election night
- Increased savings in time
and materials to administer the election
In-person absentee voting
is available now through August 8 at most city halls across Hennepin County and
at the Early Vote Center in downtown Minneapolis at 217 S. Third Street. Each
city location can accommodate voters who live in that particular city.
Check available
locations.
Voters who live anywhere in Hennepin County also may vote
in-person at the Hennepin County Government Center -- 300 S. Sixth Street,
Minneapolis – skyway level.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pre-primary
extended hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, August 6, and 4:30 to 5 p.m., Monday,
August 8.
For information about
voting and elections in Hennepin County, visit www.hennepin.us/elections.
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