News Room
206,196 Absentee and Mail Ballots Accepted Ahead of August 11 Primary
SAINT PAUL – As of 9 a.m., Monday, August 10, 2026, local election officials have accepted 206,196 absentee and mail ballots for the August 11 Primary. Of the accepted ballots, 99,053 have been returned by mail and 107,143 ballots were cast in-person. This is the highest number of absentee and mail ballots cast before a primary in a non-presidential election year. Additional absentee voting statistics are available online.
About 213,000 ballots have not yet been returned. Absentee and mail ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Minnesotans are encouraged to return their ballots in-person to their local election office as soon as possible to ensure their vote is counted. Voters can also choose to vote at their local polling place instead of returning their absentee ballot. Minnesotans can track their ballot at mnvotes.gov/track.
Election Day Voting
Minnesota’s Statewide Primary Election will be held on August 11, 2026. In the primary, voters choose candidates to appear on the November 3 General Election ballot.
Minnesotans can vote in-person at their local polling place on Tuesday, August 11. Find a polling place at mnvotes.gov/pollfinder. All polling places are open until 8 p.m. If voters are in line by 8 p.m. they can vote. In Minnesota, people can register to vote on Election Day.
To be eligible to vote, a person must be 18 or older by Primary Election Day, a U.S. Citizen, a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days, not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, and not under a court order that revokes your right to vote.
Election Call Center
Voters can reach the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or by texting 651-217-3862. Staff are available to answer questions about voting Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The service will be available until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11.
Media Briefing
On Monday, August 10, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State provided a briefing to media ahead of the Primary. A recording of the briefing is available on YouTube.