Minnesota Sees Record Early Voting for Non-Presidential Primary
Record early voting and competitive governor and Senate primaries have officials watching turnout as polls open at 7 a.m., the state said.
- On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, Minnesota voters will select candidates for an open governor's race and a vacant U.S. Senate seat in the state's primary election.
- The state has an open governor's race for the first time since 2018 after Governor Tim Walz announced he would not seek a third term, while Senator Tina Smith is vacating her U.S. Senate seat.
- Election officials have accepted a record 206,196 absentee and mail ballots as of Monday, with 99,053 returned by mail and 107,143 cast in person, driven by what officials call 'hot races.'
- Federal Department of Justice observers will monitor Ramsey and Hennepin County polling places, prompting the Attorney General's Office to deploy staff to 'observe the observers' out of an 'abundance of caution.'
- Bill Ekblad, election security navigator at the Secretary of State's Office, said Monday that officials 'believe strongly' they are 'as prepared and ready as they can be for whatever may come their way.
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What Minnesota 2026 primary voters are saying at the polls
This article will be updated throughout the day with additional voter interviews. A record number of Minnesotans — more than 240,00, by early Tuesday, according to the secretary of state — have already voted, which could propel Minnesota to a…
It's Primary election day in Minnesota
If you were mailed an absentee ballot but haven't yet returned it, skip the post office and turn it in by 5 p.m. at the office that sent it. If you vote in person, you have a little more time; polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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