Voter turnout in Cook County already over 50 percent as Election Day nears

On Oct. 20 – exactly two weeks from Election Day – more than 2,200 completed ballots were returned by Cook County voters. This figure, 2,210 returned ballots, is approximately 54 percent of all the registered voters in Cook County, according to Auditor Braidy Powers.

Across Minnesota and nationwide many voters are turning in their ballots early this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That being the case, voter turnout is typically among the highest of any county in the state in Cook County. Regardless of when ballots are turned in locally they are all counted on Election Day in Cook County, Powers said.

Local election results are expected late in the evening on Election Day, though the count will be unofficial until all ballots, including those that come in after Nov. 3, are counted. However, it is likely the local races, including those for the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the Grand Marais City Council, will be able to be determined on election night or early in the morning of Nov. 4, the day after the election.

WTIP’s news staff will be on the air on election night starting at 8 p.m. Coverage will go until local results are posted on the Minnesota Secretary of State website, likely between 10 p.m. and midnight, though it is possible the unofficial results will come in Nov. 4.

WTIP News Director Joe Friedrichs spoke with Powers Oct. 21 about the status of the local elections. Listen to the full interview below.

Joe Friedrichs October 20, 2020