News Room

SAINT PAUL — With two special elections and precinct caucuses set within the next two weeks, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon is highlighting important 2026 election dates and encouraging all citizens to stay informed, get involved, and vote.

“During these extraordinary times, I encourage Minnesotans of all political stripes to continue to stay engaged in our shared democracy by attending a local precinct caucus, signing up to be a poll worker, registering to vote, and making their plans to vote,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “Our office is committed to supporting voters by providing easy to use tools to help people find their precinct caucus, polling place, and see what’s on their ballot at mnvotes.gov.”

In 2026, Minnesotans will be voting for their choice for U.S. Senator, their member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as their choice for Governor & Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, State Senator, State Representative, and Judicial seats.

Some Minnesotans will also be voting for their local County Officers, City Officers, School Board Members, Township Officers, or local ballot questions.

Minnesotans can find their local precinct caucus location, view a sample ballot, and find their Election Day polling place using the voting information address lookup tool at mnvotes.gov/myballot. 

Election Judges Needed 

All elections are conducted locally in Minnesota. Communities throughout the state will be hiring election judges this year to help run their elections. Serving as an election judge is a paid position. Nearly 30,000 Minnesotans are needed to fill these positions during a statewide election.

To be an election judge you must be eligible to vote in Minnesota and be able to read, write, and speak English. Students 16- and 17-years-old can also be election judge trainees. Learn more about how to apply to be an election judge.

2026 Election-Related Dates 

• January 27 - Special Election for House Districts 47A and 64A 
• February 3 - Precinct caucuses
• March 10 - Township elections
• May 19 – June 2 - Candidate filing period. Candidates running for federal, state, and county offices, as well as local offices where a primary is possible, need to file for office during this window of time.
• June 26 - Primary voting begins. Minnesotans can begin to vote early via absentee ballot, by mail, or in person for the August 11 Primary Election.
• July 14 – July 28 - Late candidate filing period. Candidates running local offices where a primary is not possible need to file for office during this window of time.
• July 21 - Pre-registration deadline for the Primary Election. Voters are encouraged to pre-register to vote to avoid lines at the polling place. Voters who miss this deadline may still register at their polling place on Primary Election Day, August 11.
• August 11 - Primary Election Day
• September 15 - National Voter Registration Day. Join Secretary Simon and organizations across the state and country as we celebrate the largest annual voter registration drive in the U.S.
• September 18 - Minnesotans can begin to vote early via absentee ballot, by mail, or in person for the November 3 General Election.
• October 13 - Pre-registration deadline for the General Election. Voters are encouraged to pre-register to vote to avoid lines at the polling place. Voters who miss this deadline may still register at their polling place on Election Day, November 3.
• November 3 - General Election Day.

Register to Vote Today

The voter registration process in Minnesota is easy. Minnesotans can register to vote or check their voter registration in minutes at mnvotes.gov/register. The lookup tool is available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Lao, Oromo, Khmer, and Amharic. 

Voters can register at the polls on Election Day, with a proof of residence. Eligible U.S. citizens are also automatically registered to vote when applying for or renewing their driver's license.