Minnesota allows absentee voting during the 46 days prior to an Election.  Ballots cannot be mailed prior to the start of the period, however, voters may request their ballot at any time leading up to and throughout the absentee voting period.  Voters do not need an excuse to vote via absentee, so if you prefer to skip the lines on Election Day or know you cannot make it to the polling place you can request an absentee ballot.

Applying for an Absentee Ballot

Voters have many options to obtain an absentee ballot:

1. Apply online by clicking here.  This link will redirect you to the MN Secretary of State's website.  Election staff will receive notification of your online application, process the request and mail you an absentee ballot.
2. Apply to vote by mail using applications to County offices.  Hanover residents live in either Wright or Hennepin County (Hennepin County is south and east of the Crow River, and Wright County is the rest of Hanover). 
3. Those wishing to vote in person by absentee rather than by mail can do so at County offices beginning 46 days prior to election day. The in-person absentee voting process begins by completing an Absentee Ballot Application. You can fill out an application at home to bring in with you at the polling place. The polling place also has applications on-site for you to complete same-day. Addresses for those in-person absentee voting locations are listed below: HENNEPIN COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, 300 S 6th St, Skyway Level, Minneapolis MN 55487, Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m; OR WRIGHT COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, 3650 Braddock Avenue NE, Buffalo, MN 55313, Finance and Taxpayer Serivces Counter are open during regular business hours Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
4. Direct Balloting is available at Wright or Hennepin Counties during the 7 days preceding Election Day.  The voter completes the ballot at the time of issuance and then feeds it directly into a ballot counter machine.  Direct balloting applications can be completed at the time of the request.
5. UOCAVA is an ability for military or other overseas individuals to obtain an absentee ballot.  Please call Wright County Elections at 763-682-7692 for more information.
6. Agent Delivery is a process where a voter designates someone to pickup and deliver their absentee ballot because they cannot do so themselves for health reasons.  Please call Minnesota Secretary of State for more information.

Once you have applied for an absentee ballot, you can track the status of your ballot by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.