As the election inches closer, voters in Ramsey County are prepping for their civic duty. Polls open this Tuesday, Nov. 5, from the brisk hours of 7:00 a.m. extending to the day's end at 8:00 p.m. For those yet to be registered, Election Day registration is available at your polling place. Find your polling place, get a sneak peek at your sample ballot, and learn more about same-day registration on the county's official website.
In a slip of timing, if you requested an absentee mail-in ballot but haven't yet sent it off, there's a backup plan. You can stash that absentee ballot aside and instead head to your designated polling place to cast a fresh vote. Your absentee ballot will be invalidated, and a new one will be yours to submit at the polling site. However, it's too late at this point to return your ballot by mail—Election Day waits for no envelope.
For the ballot-clutching stragglers who still have it in hand, the only place to return your ballot in person is directly to the Ramsey County Elections Office—and make sure it's before the 8:00 p.m. cutoff. Any ballots sneaking into county or city document drop boxes will be left uncounted, lumped with the ghosts of civic intentions. Ensure your vote is counted by following designated protocols.
As the day's end draws near and the last of the ballots are cast, initial unofficial results will await the electorate’s parched eyes. They'll be published on the secretary of state's website after the 8:00 p.m. closure of polls. These preliminary tallies will include both in-person and absentee ballots, setting the stage for whatever the morrow may hold. Up-to-date results will march onto the secretary of state’s website as they're processed.
