Voting in the May 24 special primary election
Olmsted County and the City of Rochester encourage all eligible voters to participate in the special primary election on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on May 24. Individuals are eligible to vote if they are a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and have resided in Minnesota for a minimum of 20 days before the election. Any voters who have moved or changed their name since they last voted must re-register.
The winners of the special primary election will go on to compete in the August 9, 2022 special election to fill the vacancy for U.S. Representative for Congressional District 1. Twenty candidates filed for this office with the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Find out where to vote
Congressional District 1 represents Olmsted County and much of southern Minnesota. Double-check your polling location before going to vote by visiting pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us. All 58 polling locations in Olmsted County will be open for voting. This special primary election will use the map of Congressional District 1, pre-redistricting. Voters without internet access can call the county Elections office at 507-328-7650 and Rochester voters can call the Clerk’s Office at 507-328-2900 for information on how to register and where to vote. Phone lines will be staffed during voting hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 24.
Are you pre-registered?
All individuals whose registration applications were received by elections officials at least 20 days prior to this election event are pre-registered for the May 24 special primary election. Newly registered voters should have received a postcard notifying them where to vote.
If you missed the deadline to pre-register, you may still be able to vote. Minnesota is one of several states with Election Day registration. Individuals may register at the polls on Election Day by providing one of the forms of identification required by Minnesota law. Please allow extra time at the polls to register. To ensure you are ready to vote, visit our elections websites. These sites contain details on the identification needed for Election Day registration as well as links to various online voting tools.
Save time by taking these steps
- Make sure you’re registered to vote. Check the status of your registration on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Please allow extra time at the polls if you need to register.
- Look at a sample ballot ahead of time. Find sample ballots at myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us.
- Double-check your polling location. On May 24, all voters must vote in their assigned polling location. Visit pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us to check your polling place and find maps and a direct link to your sample ballot based on your assigned precinct.
Getting results
Since 2010, all absentee ballots are processed and counted centrally at the Olmsted County Election Office. Election results at the polling place will be the vote totals for in-person voters who went to the polls on Election Day.
The vote totals of the in-person polling place voters and the vote totals of the absentee voters will be merged into one unofficial vote total for the precinct before being posted to election websites. To access results, visit the Secretary of State’s website: www.mnvotes.org. As a reminder, election results are never final until canvassing is completed.
Note: For the May 24 special primary election, the State of Minnesota is allowing mailed ballots to be accepted until 8 p.m. on May 24 or returned in-person to the Olmsted County Election Office by 3 p.m. on May 24.
How the 2022 redistricting plan impacts the election cycle
The approved redistricting plan will go into effect with the August 2022 primary. If you are actively registered to vote at your current address, you will receive a postcard with your polling location information beginning in mid-June. You will also be able to look up this information on the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
More information
- For information about registering and voting in Rochester, visit www.rochestermn.gov/vote or call 507-328-2900.
- For information about registering and voting in Olmsted County, visit www.olmstedcounty.gov/vote or call 507-328-7650.
For more information on election security in Olmsted County, please watch this video.