Minnesotans have cast about 920,000 early ballots. A deadline change could delay results.

Minnesotans have submitted about 240,000 more early ballots this year than in 2016, with five days of early voting still remaining.

About 920,000 absentee ballots had been accepted as of early Thursday afternoon, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. That’s out of nearly 3.7 million registered voters in Minnesota.

“More Minnesotans voted in the past week than during the first four weeks of voting for this election,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement Thursday. “It’s clear that our state’s long-held commitment to voting and civic engagement remains.”

The latest absentee vote count far exceeds the roughly 677,000 early ballots submitted in 2016 but is well below 2020 numbers. Minnesotans cast 1.9 million absentee ballots amid the pandemic four years ago.

Asked at a news conference Tuesday if Minnesota will again top the nation in voter turnout, Simon said maybe, but “other states have stepped up their game.”

Across the U.S., more than 60 million people have voted early in the 2024 general election, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab. More Republicans are voting early this year at former President Donald Trump’s urging, a departure from four years ago when Trump railed against the practice.

Results might take longer to be reported in Minnesota on Election Day, thanks to a recent change in state law that gives voters until 8 p.m. Nov. 5 to drop off absentee ballots.

In past elections, absentee ballots had to be received by 3 p.m. to be counted, so the change aligns the absentee deadline with when the polls close at 8 p.m.

The change could delay results in more populous counties, like Hennepin, where roughly 248,000 ballots have already been accepted. Hennepin County accepted about 199,000 absentee ballots in 2016.

A change of five hours may not seem like a lot, but Hennepin County elections manager Ginny Gelms said processing absentee ballots is time-consuming. Ballots can be dropped off in cities across the county and have to be transported to the government center in Minneapolis before signatures and other information can be checked.

Gelms encouraged anyone voting absentee this close to Election Day to drop off their ballot, rather than mail it, to ensure it makes it in time. Voters who’ve mailed in their ballots can track them on the Secretary of State’s website.

To expedite election-night reporting, state lawmakers updated the rules so counties can begin reporting unofficial results while they are still processing absentee ballots received late in the day. Gelms anticipates there could be several thousand ballots received under the extended deadline.

“It is probably going to be a long night for us,” she said.

Minnesotans can vote early in-person through Monday. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday for in-person voting at local election sites.

Top DFL officials including Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar began a statewide bus tour Thursday to rally supporters and encourage early voting. The Republican Party of Minnesota has also promoted early voting, telling its social media followers to “find your early or election day polling place ASAP!”

The Secretary of State’s office launched a new text messaging service earlier this month to answer voters’ questions. Voters can text election-related questions to 651-217-3862 and they’ll receive answers from an election worker.

Staff writer Janet Moore contributed to this report.