Wisconsin and Minnesota Record High Early Voter Turnout
Wisconsin and Minnesota report record or elevated early voting numbers ahead of Tuesday's general elections featuring high-stakes gubernatorial and congressional races.
Voters in Wisconsin and Minnesota cast record or elevated numbers of early ballots ahead of the general elections on November 3, 2026. In Minnesota, the Secretary of State reported 886,527 accepted absentee and mail ballots as of Monday morning, marking the highest early voting total for a non-presidential election year in state history.
Wisconsin recorded 777,739 absentee votes by Monday morning, surpassing totals from the 2022 midterms. This figure represents roughly 29% of the 2.6 million expected votes. While the Wisconsin Elections Commission urged voters to return remaining ballots in person by the 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline, state law prohibits processing these ballots until Election Day, a restriction local managers say delays final counts.
Wisconsin's ballot features a competitive gubernatorial race between Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. High-stakes congressional contests include Republican Bryan Steil against Democrat Mitchell Burman in the 1st District and Republican Derrick Van Orden against Democrat Rebecca Cooke in the 3rd District. Voters are also deciding races for attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer, alongside three constitutional referendums.
