Across Minnesota, voters are already casting early and absentee ballots ahead of the August 11 primary.
Minnesota boasts a strong national reputation for a high percentage of voter participation, with state turnout typically at or near the top of the 50 states for the most votes cast per capita.
The Secretary of State’s office is now closely tracking primary voting activity and can once again report that a high number of Minnesota voters are doing their civic duty.
“We are ahead of the pace for absentee ballots compared to where we were at the same point in 2024, which was a presidential election year,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “So it looks like people are pretty jazzed about this primary election, probably because there are some hot contests for governor, US senator.”
The top vote-getters on the August 11 primary ballot will determine the candidates whose names will appear on the general election ballot in November.
“The primary election is where you winnow down the candidates to see who gets to go to the big show in November. So if there are five Republicans running for something, or four Democrats, there’s only one who will be left standing at the end of the primary,” explained Simon.
“Right now, we’re in the early voting period. You don’t have to wait until August 11,” he added.
Minnesota voters have three ways to cast their primary ballots.
They can show up in person at their polling place on Primary Day. Or they can select one of two ways to do their civic duty in advance of April 11: they can vote in person at an early voting center or they can apply to vote by mail.
Voters can go to the Secretary of State’s website at mnvotes.gov and put in their address to find the closest early voting center in their community. They can also visit that website to order an absentee ballot that will be delivered to them via the mail.
“It’s got to get mailed back by Election Day, not just postmarked by then,” Simon warned. “Or you can hand deliver or have a trusted person drop your ballot off for you. Just get it back!”
To cast a ballot in Minnesota, all voters must be registered to vote. They can register at their polling place when voting in person or they can submit the required documentation to register online , again using the website www.mnvotes.gov.
“In Minnesota, to register to vote you’ve got to show two things. You have to show that you are who you say you are, and that you live where you say you live,” he said.
Simon stressed that registration is streamlined and designed to be a quick and simple process for voters.
“Many people use their driver’s license. If they don’t have one or moved and haven’t updated their address, there are a bunch of ways to fulfill this requirement; for example, you can bring a utility bill with your name and address or you can come with a neighbor who will vouch for where you live.”
State election laws assure that ballots will be secure and that polling places will be orderly and safe for all voters.
“We have super strict rules in Minnesota. They only folks who can be within 100 feet of the polling place are voters, election workers, and anyone who naturally works in the building, if it’s a church or fire hall,” Simon explained. “We want polling places to be an island of calm, no politicking or campaigning, very chill.”
Simon hopes many voters will consider voting early, whether in person or by mail.
“It gives you peace of mind,” he said. “That way, you don’t have to worry about getting there on Election Day. You’re banking that ballot. Nothing can happen on game day that might get in the way of you voting. You know you got it done.”
The website that can answer your questions about voting is here.
