MN early voting: How and where to cast a ballot in 2025

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Voting lines in Minnesota. (FOX 9)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Voters will soon be able to cast an early in-person ballot for Minnesota's 2025 elections.

What's on ballots for 2025?

Local perspective:

Depending on where you live, there are various races on the 2025 ballot. They could include:

Municipal elections for mayor and/or city council
School board members
Township officers
Local ballot questions
Special Election for Senate District 29
Special Election for Senate District 47

You can view what's on your ballot here.

You can find your polling place and early voting hours in your community here. You can also find information about voting early by mail here.

Special Election for Senate District 47, formerly held by Nicole Mitchell

Why you should care:

The seat held by former State Senator Nicole Mitchell is up for grabs after she resigned following a first-degree burglary conviction.

Her sentencing, originally scheduled for Sept. 10, will now be held on Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. in Becker County.

Senate District 47 includes Woodbury and parts of southern Maplewood.

Voters will now choose between DFL Candidate Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger and GOP Candidate Dwight Dorau.

Special Election for Senate District 29, formerly held by Bruce Anderson

The backstory:

Gov. Tim Walz issued a Writs of Special Election to fill the vacancy in Senate District 29, which includes parts of Hennepin and Meeker counties, and much of Wright County.

Anderson, 75, died unexpectedly on July 21, 2025. The Republican representative was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2012, and was actively serving at the time of his death.

The race to fill the seat is now between DFL Candidate Louis McNutt and GOP Candidate Michael Holmstrom Jr.

Minneapolis Early Vote Center

What you can do:

The Early Vote Center in Minneapolis is set to open at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 19. Details on early voting location and hours can be found here.

Minneapolis residents will use ranked-choice voting to select a new mayor, a new Ward 5 City Council Member, two new members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, three Park and Recreation Commissioners at-large, and a new park and recreation commissioner for District 2.

The mayoral candidates on the ballot include incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as DeWayne Davis, Jazz Hampton, Brenda Short, Jeffrey Alan Wagner, Kevin Dwire, Xavier Pauke, Laverne Turner, Omar Fateh, Troy A. Peterson, Kevin Ward, Adam Terrzich, Andrea Revel, Charlie McCloud and Alejandro Richardson.

St. Paul elections and referendums

Big picture view:

St. Paul residents will be able to cast a ballot for a new mayor, which will also be decided by ranked-choice voting.

The candidates for Mayor of St. Paul are incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, Mike Hilborn, Kaohly Her, Yan Chen and Adam Dullinger.

City Charter question:

There will also be a referendum on amending the city charter, with the following question appearing on the ballot:

"Should Ordinance Ord 25-2, amending Chapter 6.03 of the St. Paul Charter, regarding Administrative Citations take effect? Ordinance Ord 25-2 amends the City Charter to authorize the issuance of Administrative Citations that may result in the imposition of civil fines for violations of City Ordinances. Administrative Citations are not Criminal Citations. A ‘yes’ vote is a vote in favor of amending the City Charter to allow the City to issue administrative citations. A ‘No’ vote is a vote against amending the City Charter and against administrative citations."

School referendum question:

Another question will ask voters to approve a new school district revenue authorization and will be presented as follows:

"The board of Independent School District No. 625 (Saint Paul), Minnesota has proposed to increase the School District's general education revenue by $1,073 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The proposed new referendum revenue authorization would be first levied in 2025 for taxes payable in 2026 and applicable for ten (10) years unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law."

Early voting locations include the Ramsey County Library, both at the Roseville and Shoreview locations, the Arlington Hills Community Center and the North End Community Center. Details can be found here.

How to register to vote and deadlines

Local perspective:

Minnesota citizens can pre-register by submitting their information here.

A paper copy of the registration can be downloaded and printed here and then mailed or dropped off either at the local county election office or directly to the Minnesota Secretary of State, located at the First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201 in St. Paul, MN 55101.

To find your county's election office, click here.

Here are the deadlines for registration:

Online registration deadline: 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Register by mail deadline: 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
In-person registration deadline: Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Other ways to register to vote

Dig deeper:

If you miss the deadline to register in advance, you can register to vote on election day at your polling place.

On Election Day, bring a current Minnesota ID with your name and address, or a photo ID and a document that has your current name and address.

Approved photo IDs:

Driver's license, state ID, or learner's permit issued by any state.
U.S. Passport
U.S. Military or Veteran ID
Tribal ID with name, signature and photo
Minnesota university, college or technical college ID
Minnesota high school ID

Approved documents (these can be shown on an electronic device):

Bill, account or start-of-service statement due or dated within 30 days of the election for: Phone, TV or internet, solid waste, sewer, electric, gas or water, banking or credit card, and rent or mortgage
Residential lease or rent agreement that is valid through election day
Current student fee statement

An already registered voter can "vouch" for you at the polling place. That means the registered voter from your precinct can go with you to the polling place and sign an oath confirming your address.

A registered voter can vouch for up to eight people.

To learn more ways to register to vote, click here.