One week from today (Friday, Sept. 18), the Wright County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office will begin accepting absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 general election. As part of this effort, there are two web pages on the county’s elections web page.

One deals with the process of absentee voting that can be found here: http://www.co.wright.mn.us/181/Absentee-Voting-Mail. The other deals with those who wish to vote absentee in person and locations where absentee voting can be done in person, which can be found here: http://www.co.wright.mn.us/974/Absentee-Voting-In-Person. The Wright County elections division strongly encourages voters to opt for the mail-in or drop-off option. Wright County has a secured collection box for ballots housed at the main entrance on the north side of the Wright County Government Center at 10 Second St. NW in Buffalo.

To date, 12,284 requests have already been made for absentee ballots in Wright County and that number is expected to grow significantly as Election Day draws closer.

There are eight cities in Wright County that are also accepting absentee ballots – Albertville, Buffalo, Delano, Hanover, Howard Lake, Monticello, Otsego and St. Michael.

In addition, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office is planning to mail out absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the state who have not already applied for an absentee ballot.

With concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19 at polling places, especially if they are particularly crowded with voters, the absentee option is an available tool for voters to submit their votes early and have the ability to track their ballot to assure that it is received and counted in the 2020 general election.