Early voting opens in Minnesota ahead of Aug. 11 primary with major races on the ballot

Early voting for Minnesota's Aug. 11 primary got under way Friday, with voters whose choices were already settled among the first to turn in ballots.

Each vote secured early lets campaigns shift their attention to persuading other potential voters through traditional get-out-the-vote efforts. Election officials expect turnout to run above average this year because of the number of competitive primaries, which include several high-profile Republican and Democratic contests for statewide and down-ballot offices.

Voters can cast absentee ballots without giving an excuse, either by mail or in person, beginning 46 days before an election. For the 2026 August primary, that date was June 26. Ballots can be requested online, or voters can go to a polling place, apply for an absentee ballot and vote on the spot. Those who mail their ballots can follow them online. Secretary of State Steve Simon, speaking at the Capitol on Thursday, compared the process to package tracking. "You don't have to just pop it in the mail, say a prayer, and hope it gets there," he said.

At Minneapolis's early voting center in the city's Elections and Voter Services building, Wendy Jedlicka and her wife, Joni Cromer, were among the first to vote Friday. The couple vote early regularly. "It's just good to get it out of the way," Cromer said. Jedlicka said they make a morning of it, with breakfast first and then a trip to vote. She also pointed to the center's curbside voting for people who have trouble leaving their cars, a service the couple used in an earlier election after Cromer had back surgery.

Candidates marked the first day with events of their own. Republican gubernatorial candidate and House Speaker Lisa Demuth and her running mate, Ryan Wilson, spoke at the State Capitol about their get-out-the-vote plans before traveling to other Minnesota cities. Demuth is continuing to the primary after the Republican Party endorsed Kendall Qualls, a former healthcare executive, at its May state convention. She said she will skip debates before the primary, noting she has taken part in 16 joint forums with Republican candidates, and said she is looking forward to "winning the primary and debating Amy Klobuchar."

In the DFL race for U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig told MPR News after meeting voters in Minneapolis that early voting matters regardless of whom people support. She said she was encouraged to see people participating in a primary for the first time. "If you don't use your vote, you're allowing someone else to make that choice for you," Craig said.

Her opponent, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, voted at the Hennepin County Government Center and urged others to do the same. "Part of it is once you cast this ballot, then you can focus on turning other folks out in this election," she said, adding that people never know what might happen before Election Day.

Two first-time voters joined Flanagan, one a newly naturalized citizen and the other an 18-year-old senior at St. Louis Park High School, Tess Machalek. Machalek pre-registered on her 16th birthday and, three years ago, testified before the Legislature in support of a bill allowing schools to offer pre-registration to 16- and 17-year-olds. Under the law, she said, those teens are already in the system and become eligible to vote automatically when they turn 18.

Minnesotans can register to vote, request an absentee ballot and find a polling place on the Secretary of State's website.