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MINNEAPOLIS 鈥� More Minnesotans are choosing to vote early in 2024 than in the 2016 general election, but still fewer than the record high during 2020鈥檚 mid-pandemic election, the Minnesota Secretary of State鈥檚 Office reported.

Over 520,000 Minnesotans have applied for and received absentee ballots so far this year, with 107,000 accepted, . In 2020, 1.4 million voters had absentee ballots by the second week, compared to just 46,000 in 2016.

This year marked the beginning of Minnesota鈥檚 . The new program, which launched in April, means that any Minnesota resident who applies for a state-issued ID will automatically be registered to vote. There is a 20-day period for opting out.

In September, the SOS鈥檚 office and the Department of Public Safety released a joint statement saying that 90,000 people have been registered or pre-registered automatically, but that

Republicans who raised concerns about automatic registration, DPS said that 1% of registrations 鈥� equal to about 1,000 鈥� were flagged for errors. Registration for those voters has been inactivated until citizenship, addresses and other details can be confirmed, according to the DPS and the SOS鈥檚 office.

Sen. Mark Koran, R-North Branch, in an Oct. 7 email update to voters, addressed the letter from DPS.

鈥淲hile 1,000 names may not seem like a large number in the grand scheme of our state elections, sometimes elections are won by less than 100 votes,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f it were your candidate you'd like to see win, would you want the people voting to be eligible to vote?鈥�

Koran thanked the SOS and DPS for addressing the issues with the program.

鈥淣o matter where or when you register to vote 鈥� when you get your drivers鈥� license, online, or at the polls 鈥� every voter registration deserves to have the same verification and review process across the state,鈥� he said.

Minnesotans can check their registration status .

Ahead of Nov. 5, Minnesotans can or in person during normal business hours, with the exception of a few special early voting hours:

• Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
• Tuesday, Oct. 29, open until 7 p.m. 
• Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
• Sunday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
• Monday, Nov. 4, open until 5 p.m.

Ballots by mail must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, to be counted. Voters can track their ballots . Minnesotans must be 18 or older by Election Day, a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days, a citizen, and not currently incarcerated for a felony to be an eligible voter.