Absentee voting already surpassing 2022 pace in Minnesota

ST. PAUL — Minnesota is already seeing high midterm turnout, with 202,252 absentee ballots cast in the first four weeks of voting. That number is up 17.2% from Minnesota s 2022 midterm, according to the Secretary of State s Office. In the first four weeks of early voting in 2022, 172,520 Minnesotans had cast their ballots. Of the 202,252 absentee ballots cast so far in 2026, 80,870 were cast in person and 121,382 were cast by mail. Minnesota saw record primary turnout on Aug. 11 with 1.1 million voters, or about 25% of eligible voters, according to the Secretary of State s Office. It was the first time Minnesota has seen more than 1 million votes cast in a primary, and it tops the modern-day high in 2018 at 23% turnout, or 925,554 votes. Secretary of State Steve Simon has attributed the high turnout for a non-presidential year to the hot races on the ballot. Minnesotans will see federal, state and local races on their ballots this November, including a U.S. Senate seat