Minneapolis schedules public voting-system tests before Aug. 11 state primary

Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services has announced public tests of the voting systems that will be used ahead of the Aug. 11, 2026 Minnesota State Primary Election.

The tests are intended to demonstrate the accuracy of equipment used to tabulate ballots cast at polling locations and through absentee voting. The city issued the notice as part of its election administration preparations for the state primary.

What the city has announced

The public tests apply to two parts of Minneapolis ballot processing: systems used for polling-place ballots and systems used for absentee voting. They are scheduled to occur before the Aug. 11 primary, according to the city’s official notices page.

The city’s election calendar lists Aug. 11, 2026, as the date of the Minnesota State Primary. The announced testing is a pre-election administrative step; it is not an election result, a vote on a policy, or a finding about the performance of voting systems in a prior election.

The notice was last updated July 8. It does not specify the date, time or location for each public equipment test. It also does not list the candidates or races that will appear on the Minneapolis ballot.

What voters can expect

The tests provide a public demonstration involving the equipment that will count Minneapolis ballots in the primary. They cover both ballots cast in person at polling locations and ballots processed through absentee voting.

Minneapolis voters will use the systems covered by the tests if they cast ballots through those methods in the primary. The city has not, in the materials provided with the notice, announced further details for attending the tests.

Related candidate deadline has passed

For Minneapolis School Board candidates, the city says the filing period ran from May 19 through June 2, 2026, and is closed. That deadline is separate from the voting-system testing process and from the Aug. 11 primary date.

The next confirmed election-administration milestone in the city’s calendar is the Aug. 11 Minnesota State Primary. Minneapolis residents seeking details about the public testing will need to watch for any additional information from Elections & Voter Services, since the current notice does not provide individual test logistics.