Early voting has begun for the Nov. 7 municipal election. All 13 City Council seats are on the 2023 ballot.

Voters can cast their ballots by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 980 East Hennepin Ave. The City is now mailing more than 1,000 requested mail-in ballots to Minneapolis voters, and anyone who requested one should allow 7-10 days for it to arrive.

All mail-in ballots need to be received by Election Day (Nov. 7) to count. If voters choose to deliver their ballot in-person to the Elections & Voter Services office, it still must be returned by 3 p.m. on Election Day: Nov. 7. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.

More information on how to vote by mail is available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.

Voting at the Early Vote Center

The Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., makes early in-person voting more convenient for Minneapolis voters. It’s especially helpful to people who need language support or other special accommodations, such as curbside voting. Voting early can help people avoid lines and crowds at polling places on the day of the election.

The Early Vote Center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center will extend its hours for the final two weeks of voting, including Saturdays and Sundays. All Early Vote Center hours are on the Elections & Voter Services website: vote.minneapolismn.gov.

Voters can save time by taking these three steps

1. Make sure you’re registered to vote, or pre-register at least 21 days before the election. Voters can register or check the status of their registrations at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/register.
2. Download and complete the absentee ballot application form in advance and bring it when you go to vote early. Find the request form at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.
3. Look at a sample ballot ahead of time; even bring it to refer to when you go to vote. Find your sample ballot at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/ballot.

State law allows voters to bring materials into the polls to help complete their ballots — and the sample ballot is the single, best tool available for this purpose. By downloading and printing their sample ballots (which are customized to their specific ward and precinct), voters can practice marking their ballots. They can bring this marked-up sample ballot as a reference to the voting booth when completing their official ballots. This is the best way to reduce the time spent waiting in lines.

Ranked choice voting

Minneapolis voters will use ranked choice voting in this election to elect members of the City Council. Ranked choice voting is a way of voting that eliminates the need for separate primary elections. For each of the 13 wards, voters rank up to three candidates for each office in order of preference. Ranked choice voting is used only for municipal elections in Minneapolis. 

More information on ranked-choice voting is available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/rcv.