In-Person Voting Starts Friday in Virginia, South Dakota, and Minnesota

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One of those states is solidly red, while the other two are edging closer to being competitive.

Summer isn’t over, but America’s “election season” is already well underway. In fact, some people are now casting votes in person for the general election.

In-person early or absentee voting for the Nov. 5 general election starts Sept. 20 in Virginia, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

In Virginia, local registrars across the state will be open for “absentee voting in person,” which continues through Nov. 2 at 5 p.m.

Other satellite locations for early voting are listed on the state’s election website. Some will not open until a few weeks after Sept. 20.

Voters need not provide an excuse to participate in that month-and-a-half-long early voting period in Virginia. That’s thanks to legislation that took effect in 2020 alongside a raft of other bills expanding absentee voting in the state—for example, a law permitting absentee ballots postmarked on Election Day to be accepted up to three days later.

The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. (Krzysztof Golik/CC BY-SA 4.0) — The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Krzysztof Golik/CC BY-SA 4.0

Minnesota has a similar system for in-person absentee voting, which also starts Sept. 20. Under state law, absentee in-person voting must continue until the Saturday before Election Day, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., and the day before Election Day, when locations must stay open until 5 p.m. A list of those locations can be found here.

The 46-day timeline was established during the state’s 2010 legislative session, lengthening a 30-day timeline. Minnesota too has expanded absentee voting over the years along with other aspects of voting. Laws that took effect in June 2024 created a permanent absentee voter list and allow college students residing in the state to register with a student housing list and any form of photo identification, not just a school ID.

South Dakota’s absentee voting also starts on Sept. 20, 46 days ahead of Election Day.

“Registered voters can vote in person once absentee voting begins at their County Auditor’s office by bringing along a valid photo identification card (ID),” South Dakota’s Secretary of State website informs residents. South Dakota law authorizes in-person absentee ballot delivery.

Borderline Battlegrounds

South Dakota, like its northern neighbor, is a solidly red state.

But Virginia and Minnesota, though more blue than red, may have edged closer to being competitive this cycle.

During the GOP’s national convention in Milwaukee in July, President Joe Biden was still the Democratic candidate.

In her speech at the Fiserv Forum, Republican National Committee co-Chair Lara Trump described her father-in-law’s opponent as “vulnerable” in Virginia, Minnesota, and several other states that Democrats typically win.

Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump speaks at the 2024 CAGOP convention in Burlingame, Calif., on May 18. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) — Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump speaks at the 2024 CAGOP convention in Burlingame, Calif., on May 18. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Trump now faces Vice President Kamala Harris instead of Biden.

Harris’s running mate is Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, whom she named during the Democrats’ convention in late August.

Yet in recent weeks, Harris’s lead over Trump in Minnesota polling has narrowed, dwindling from more than 9 points to under 7 points according to FiveThirtyEight’s average.

A September survey of more than 1600 likely voters from MinnPost showed her with just a five-point lead in the state. A Democrat hasn’t lost Minnesota since 1972, when incumbent President Richard Nixon edged out George McGovern, then the senator from nearby South Dakota.

Biden won it in 2020 by more than 7 percent. He led Trump there in the polls throughout the campaign season.

A Senate race in the state pits incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar against former basketball player Royce White.

(Left) Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 2024. (Right) Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign event in Flint, Mich., on Sept. 17, 2024. (Win McNamee, Scott Olson/Getty Images) — (Left) Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 2024. (Right) Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign event in Flint, Mich., on Sept. 17, 2024. Win McNamee, Scott Olson/Getty Images

Harris’s lead is a little more comfortable in Virginia, at 7.6 points according to FiveThirtyEight’s average.

When Biden was the candidate, some surveys showed the former president ahead. One Virginia Commonwealth University poll from early July showed Trump with a three-point lead in the state. An August survey from the same institution showed Harris ahead of Trump by 13 points.

Virginia’s Republican candidate for Senate, former U.S. Navy officer Hung Cao, has generally trailed incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in the state by 10 or more points in polling since July.