Voting in Minnesota’s primary election began Friday as people whose minds were already made up turned in their ballots.
For campaigns, every vote they can secure early frees them up to focus on nudging other potential voters with traditional get-out-the-vote pushes.
There are multiple forms of early voting, and they all lead up to the Aug. 11 primary election that will determine the fall nominees in key races.
Starting 46 days before an election — that’s June 26 for the 2026 August primary — voters can vote absentee by mail or in-person, and they don’t need an excuse to do so.
Voters can request absentee ballots online or show up in-person to polling places to apply for an absentee ballot, and cast their ballot then and there. Those who vote by mail can even track their ballots online.
“You don’t have to just pop it in the mail, say a prayer, and hope it gets there,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said at the Capitol on Thursday. “You can track it like an Amazon or a UPS package, and you can know precisely when it’s been received by your local election office.”
This year’s primary election features several high-profile contests for both Republicans and Democrats in statewide and down ballot races. Election officials anticipate higher-than-average turnout this year because of the array of competitive primaries.
Early voters report smooth first day voting process
Wendy Jedlicka and her wife, Joni Cromer, were two of the first Minneapolis voters to cast their ballots Friday at the city’s early voting center at the Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services building. They are regular early voters.
“It's just good to get it out of the way,” Cromer said.
“What we do is we have a nice breakfast, and then we come out and we vote,” Jedlicka said.
Jedlicka also highlighted the curbside voting at the early voting center that’s available to voters who have difficulty leaving their cars to vote. Jedlicka said they used that service in a past election after Cromer had back surgery.
“If you want a civilized experience, get out early, vote at your voting center, get friends to come with you, make it a breakfast thing, or lunch, or whatever time they're open,” Jedlicka said.
Campaigns come in hot on first early voting day
Campaigns were pushing Friday to get their backers to cast their votes as soon as possible. Major candidates, including Republican gubernatorial candidate House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, held campaign events to get out the early vote.
Demuth and her running mate Ryan Wilson spoke at the State Capitol on Friday morning about their get-out-the-vote efforts before heading to other Minnesota cities to raise awareness about early voting.
Demuth is pushing through to the primary after failing to get the Republican Party endorsement at state convention in May. The endorsement went to Kendall Qualls, a former healthcare executive. Demuth said she will bypass debates ahead of the primary.
Demuth said she has participated in 16 joint forums with Republican candidates since entering the race for governor and would wait to go head-to-head with the top Democrat in the race. "I am looking forward to winning the primary and debating Amy Klobuchar," she said.
Craig told MPR News after speaking with voters Friday afternoon in Minneapolis that early voting was imperative no matter which candidate someone supports. Craig is running in a spirited DFL race for U.S. Senate.
“It's exciting to me that we're seeing people who've never participated in a primary before," Craig said. "You know, people think that their voice doesn't matter, but if you don't use your vote, you're allowing someone else to make that choice for you."
Craig’s opponent, Flanagan, showed up to both vote for herself and encourage others to get it done early.
“Part of it is once you cast this ballot, then you can focus on turning other folks out in this election,” she said. “It's just a good thing, and a good practice to get it done. Get it out of the way, right? You never know what might happen, and so we're just trying to encourage folks to get out and cast their ballot.”
Flanagan cast her vote at the Hennepin County Government Center.
She was joined by two first time voters, a newly naturalized American citizen and an 18-year-old who helped push for a state law to encourage young people to get involved in voting.
Tess Machalek, a senior at St. Louis Park High School, was excited to participate in an election for the first time.
“I pre-registered on my 16th birthday. It was like the biggest thing for me,” she said.
Machalek testified in front of the state Legislature three years ago to encourage a yes vote on a bill that would allow schools to provide access to pre-registration for 16 and 17 year olds.
“They're already in the system, and then on the day they turn 18, become automatically eligible to vote,” Machalek said. “And so they are able to get right into the swing of things, get right into voting.”
Voters can register to vote, request an absentee ballot and find a polling location on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.