Voter turnout up in Minnesota's midterm election

Minnesota voters cast a record number of ballots in this year's midterm election.

More than 2.8 million people and counting voted in the 2026 midterm elections in Minnesota, which accounts for more than 64 percent of the eligible voters, according to unofficial numbers from the office of Secretary of State Steve Simon.

Preliminary estimates from the University of Florida’s Election Lab project Minnesota to have the highest voter turnout rate in the country. The estimates differ from the state's unofficial turnout figures, which are still being updated.

Republican analyst Preya Samsundar believes the “excess aggressiveness” of the federal government's immigration surge last winter played a huge role in voter turnout in the Twin Cities. She said Republicans have tried to build coalitions with Black voters, Hispanic voters, Asian voters and young voters for the last 10 to 15 years.

“Republicans have been making consistent gains with those demographics and those key demographics since 2016, but that was all wiped away during last night's election, and I think some of that does have to do with the immigration enforcement,” Preya said.

Election results saw Democrats win control of the state Legislature and every statewide office. Nationwide, Democrats have won control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

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