Counties · winona.cd1gop.com
Winona County Republicans
Chair Pete Hutkowski
Events occurring in Winona, not only events this BPOU created.
Early voting*
You can vote from Friday, September 18 right through Monday, November 2 — no excuse or reason needed. Walk in, get a ballot, vote it there. From Friday, October 16 your ballot goes straight into the ballot counter instead of an envelope. On Tuesday, November 3 you vote at your own precinct instead, not at these offices.
Closed right now
Voting reopens at 8 AM today.
Winona County Office Building
202 West 3rd St
Winona, MN 55987
Regular hours
- Monday–Friday, 8 AM – 4:30 PM
- Closed Saturday and Sunday — except the extra dates below
Extra dates, every location
- Sat, October 24 — 9 AM – 3 PM
- Tue, October 27 — open late, until 7 PM
- Sat, October 31 — 9 AM – 3 PM
- Sun, November 1 — 9 AM – 3 PM
- Mon, November 2 — open late, until 5 PM
Finding it: The County Office Building, not the courthouse.
County research recorded 4:00 p.m.; the state publishes 4:30 p.m. Unresolved — call ahead late in the day.
Who runs the election here
Chelsi Wilbright
Winona County election official
Phone: 507-457-8830
Email: elections@winonacounty.gov
County elections page: winonacounty.gov
Office: Winona County Auditor-Treasurer, 202 W Third St, Winona, MN 55987
From the Secretary of State's county election-office directory, read 2026-09-20. The county is the authority on its own election — if what you find here and what they say differ, they are right.
Getting your ballot counted
From Friday, October 16: your ballot goes straight into the counter
Until then, voting in person before Election Day means your ballot is sealed in an envelope and counted later. From Friday, October 16 through Monday, November 2, it goes directly into the ballot counter, just as it would at your polling place on Election Day.
Minn. Stat. 203B.081 subd. 1aReturning a ballot you got by mail
- By mail: it must arrive by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. A postmark does not count, so mail it well ahead.
- In person: by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, at the county or city election office that sent it.
- Not at a polling place. Polling places cannot accept absentee ballots. If you still have yours on Election Day, go to your polling place and vote there in person instead.
Carrying someone else's ballot
A voter may ask someone to deliver their sealed absentee envelope. You may do this for no more than three voters in this election. Take it straight to the election office or put it straight in the mail. The same deadlines apply: in person by 5 p.m. on November 3, or arriving by mail by 8 p.m.
Never open it, add to it or hold on to it. Tampering with the envelope, or not delivering it right away, is a crime.
Minn. Stat. 203B.08 subd. 1(b)Helping someone mark their ballot
A voter who needs help may bring anyone they choose, or ask two election judges from different parties. The only people who may not help are the voter's employer, someone acting for the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union. There is no limit on how many voters one person may help.
The helper marks the ballot the way the voter says, never suggests a choice, and keeps it private.
Minn. Stat. 204C.15Vote from your car
If you can't easily leave your vehicle, you can ask to have a ballot brought out to you. Two election judges from different parties bring it to your car and carry it back inside when you're done, and you can register or update your registration the same way. On Election Day this is available at every polling place.
Minn. Stat. 204C.15 subd. 2Drivers and helpers: leave the campaign in the car
No campaign buttons, shirts, hats or literature, and no talking about candidates or ballot questions, inside a polling place or within 100 feet of the building on Election Day — or within 100 feet of the voting room during early and absentee voting. Rides are for any voter, whoever they vote for.
Minn. Stat. 211B.11Rules from Minnesota statutes; Winona County details from the county auditor, checked October 4, 2026. Find your polling place: pollfinder.sos.mn.gov.
* “Early voting” here means at-will in-person absentee voting. Anyone registered may do it from September 18 — no excuse, no reason required. (The narrower process Minnesota statute calls Early Voting starts October 16; from a voter’s side of the counter the two look much the same.) It is entirely optional — you give up nothing by waiting and voting at your precinct on Tuesday, November 3.
Hours and addresses from the Minnesota Secretary of State, verified 13 September 2026 and re-checked against its 28 September list on October 5. Building images are illustrations, not photographs. Map pins re-checked October 5 against the US Census and OpenStreetMap geocoders. For anything specific to a building, the county auditor is the authority — mnvotes.gov.