Demand in Minnesota for absentee ballot continues to climb

Requests for absentee ballots continue to climb to unprecedented levels, leading to predictions of strong voter turnout on Nov. 6.

The state has seen a 204 percent increase in requested early voting ballots and a 235 percent rise in accepted ballots compared to the same point in 2014 — the last statewide nonpresidential election, said Secretary of State Steve Simon.

In all, 155,721 ballots have been requested.

The absentee voting period began Sept. 21 and ends Nov. 5. No excuses are needed.

"All signals point to high turnout this year," Simon said, citing a spike in new registrations led by voters who are 18 to 30 years old. "It's fair to say that people are fired up to vote and they seem to be fired up across the political spectrum."

More than 900,000 people voted in Minnesota's Aug. 14 primary, the highest number of voters since 1982.

In Minneapolis, there were almost as many early voters in this year's primary than in the previous seven gubernatorial primaries combined.

Other parts of the country are tracking similar surges.

Georgia has mailed almost twice as many absentee ballots as in the 2014 election.

In Chicago, early voting that began Sept. 27 is already setting records, the Chicago Board of Elections reported.

Laramie County, Wyo., has gotten absentee ballot requests that exceed the total number sent out in 2010 and 2014.