A clear look at the numbers — and a call to every Minnesotan
Minnesotans are already voting in the August 11 primary, and the early numbers tell a story worth paying attention to.
As of August 7, the Secretary of State reported nearly 395,000 absentee applications and roughly 174,000 accepted ballots (about 91,000 by mail and 83,000 in person). That volume is running ahead of recent state primaries at the same point in the calendar. The biggest numbers are coming from the metro — Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Washington, and Anoka — but every county is participating.
These are not abstract statistics. They are real ballots already cast by neighbors who decided not to wait until Election Day.
Why This Matters
Primaries decide who appears on the November ballot for governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. Senate, and other statewide offices. When turnout stays low, a relatively small number of organized voters can dominate the outcome. When turnout rises, the result more closely reflects the broader will of the people who actually live here.
High participation is the simplest, most effective check on any process. The more eyes, the more ballots, the harder it becomes for irregularities — intentional or otherwise — to go unnoticed or unchallenged. That is not conspiracy talk. It is basic accountability.
Minnesota has competitive races on both sides of the ballot this year. That competition is already producing higher early activity than we saw in quieter primary cycles. The question is whether we finish the job.
The Window Is Closing
• In-person early voting ends Monday, August 10.
• Mail ballots must be received by Election Day, August 11.
• Election Day itself runs 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You do not need an excuse to vote early. You do not need to declare a party affiliation to receive a ballot. You simply choose one party’s ballot and vote.
What You Can Do Right Now
1. Check your status at mnvotes.gov or call 1-877-600-VOTE.
2. Find your early voting location if you still want to vote in person before Monday.
3. Talk to the people around you — family, coworkers, the person next to you at church or the co-op. Ask them if they have voted yet. Most people still haven’t.
4. Show up. Whether you prefer mail, early in-person, or Election Day, the act of voting is the point.
This is not about any single candidate or party. It is about whether Minnesotans decide the outcome of their own primary, or whether we leave it to the usual low-turnout machinery.
The early numbers show people are paying attention. Now make the final stretch too large, too visible, and too broad for anyone to ignore or manipulate.
Vote. Bring someone with you. Make this primary too big to rig.
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Sources: Minnesota Secretary of State Absentee Data (as of 8/7/26). Early voting ends Monday. Election Day is Tuesday, August 11.
Minnesota Primary Absentee/Early Voting by County
Data as of 8/7/26 – Minnesota Secretary of State
County Applications Mail Accepted In-Person Accepted Total Accepted
County: Applications: Mail Accepted: In-Person Accepted: Total Accepted:
Aitkin 5,743 1,742 151 1,893
Anoka 13,199 3,083 4,611 7,694
Becker 3,167 655 256 911
Beltrami 4,037 867 476 1,343
Benton 1,228 284 252 536
Big Stone 1,868 473 18 491
Blue Earth 9,103 2,014 770 2,784
Brown 3,456 908 190 1,098
Carlton 3,871 941 367 1,308
Carver 4,283 1,095 1,413 2,508
Cass 7,042 1,976 144 2,120
Chippewa 2,207 491 124 615
Chisago 1,636 435 427 862
Clay 5,580 1,177 833 2,010
Clearwater 701 145 71 216
Cook 3,157 1,019 45 1,064
Cottonwood 266 55 51 106
Crow Wing 5,678 1,364 604 1,968
Dakota 24,054 5,459 8,813 14,272
Dodge 347 51 81 132
Douglas 1,361 262 592 854
Faribault 1,153 277 224 501
Fillmore 2,951 561 77 638
Freeborn 1,485 365 201 566
Goodhue 1,899 549 506 1,055
Grant 3,468 782 14 796
Hennepin 76,812 16,595 29,066 45,661
Houston 469 118 94 212
Hubbard 2,034 515 148 663
Isanti 1,217 295 336 631
Itasca 10,914 2,838 385 3,223
Jackson 2,231 479 35 514
Kanabec 339 96 89 185
Kandiyohi 2,650 560 447 1,007
Kittson 1,884 599 10 609
Koochiching 4,225 1,022 113 1,135
Lac Qui Parle 2,269 536 38 574
Lake 935 258 115 373
Lake Of The Woods 2,244 460 13 473
Le Sueur 4,240 1,062 156 1,218
Lincoln 241 54 23 77
Lyon 3,510 807 186 993
McLeod 1,265 320 209 529
Mahnomen 1,820 403 45 448
Marshall 4,647 1,044 6 1,050
Martin 1,780 406 88 494
Meeker 2,647 549 150 699
Mille Lacs 1,228 242 149 391
Morrison 4,539 1,105 295 1,400
Mower 3,335 698 282 980
Murray 2,010 550 18 568
Nicollet 4,129 919 399 1,318
Nobles 3,302 712 49 761
Norman 2,701 547 17 564
Olmsted 8,083 1,746 2,883 4,629
Otter Tail 2,304 477 490 967
Pennington 1,281 274 67 341
Pine 1,973 485 210 695
Pipestone 2,727 654 76 730
Polk 6,004 1,392 45 1,437
Pope 2,866 619 81 700
Ramsey 26,602 5,807 9,555 15,362
Red Lake 1,668 421 7 428
Redwood 398 86 123 209
Renville 728 153 56 209
Rice 2,534 532 1,014 1,546
Rock 2,585 515 36 551
Roseau 3,588 718 29 747
St. Louis 10,834 2,947 1,342 4,289
Scott 5,713 1,021 2,239 3,260
Sherburne 2,327 608 504 1,112
Sibley 3,118 668 134 802
Stearns 9,379 2,260 1,924 4,184
Steele 850 155 394 549
Stevens 2,988 636 36 672
Swift 2,221 494 52 546
Todd 402 123 99 222
Traverse 958 255 21 276
Wabasha 1,395 389 180 569
Wadena 769 199 77 276
Waseca 657 159 102 261
Washington 14,145 3,429 5,300 8,729
Watonwan 2,664 606 38 644
Wilkin 2,054 383 12 395
Winona 2,044 484 295 779
Wright 4,223 918 1,232 2,150
Yellow Medicine 2,319 590 21 611
STATEWIDE TOTALS
Applications: 394,958
Mail Accepted: 91,022
In-Person Accepted: 82,946
Total Accepted: 173,968