Early voting open

The City of Minneapolis reminds eligible voters that planning ahead can save them from standing in long lines on Election Day.  Early voting (absentee voting) began Sept. 23. Any voter may vote early. Standard hours throughout the absentee voting period are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. The in-person location for the Northeast Early Vote Center is at 2516 Central Ave. NE in the Water Bar Building.  Early voters can save time by taking these three steps: Making sure they’re registered to vote, or pre-registering. Voters can register or check the status of their registrations at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/register. The last day to pre-register for the general election is Oct. 18.  Downloading and completing the absentee ballot application form in advance and bringing it when voting. Find the request form at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/absentee.  And Looking at a sample ballot ahead of time and even bringing it to refer to when voting. Sample ballots are available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/ballot.  Now-Nov. 7: Early voting for the general election.  Oct. 18: Voter pre-registration deadline.  Nov. 8:  General election, polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m.  For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis or to serve as an election judge, residents can visit http://vote.minneapolismn.gov or call 311 or 612-673-3000.