Minnesota certifies candidates for Aug. 11 primary as election-law changes take effect
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office certified candidates for all federal and state offices for the Aug. 11, 2026 primary election, formally setting the field for major-party primary contests across the state.
The certification announcement was made June 8. It comes as portions of Chapter 102, the election-administration measure enacted as H.F. 4240 during the 2026 legislative session, have taken effect ahead of the primary and the Nov. 3 general election.
The certification is a ballot-access step, not an election result or an endorsement of any candidate. The available official record does not provide a complete candidate-by-candidate statewide summary.
What certification means for the primary
The Aug. 11 election is Minnesota’s statewide primary for federal and state offices. Candidates certified by the Secretary of State’s office will proceed through the primary-election process for the offices in which they filed and qualified.
The Secretary of State’s office said minor-party and independent candidates who submitted successful petitions do not participate in the Aug. 11 primary. Those candidates advance directly to the Nov. 3 general-election ballot.
State filing rules also include a $300 filing fee for each major-party governor and lieutenant-governor candidate. The source packet does not provide a full list of certified candidates or additional filing details for other offices.
For voters, the next statewide election date is Aug. 11. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, when primary winners and qualifying minor-party and independent candidates will appear on the ballot under the applicable procedures.
Election-administration law is now partly in effect
Chapter 102 changes Minnesota election administration and absentee-voting provisions. The Minnesota Revisor of Statutes identifies the measure as H.F. 4240 and says it modifies election timelines, appropriates money and prohibits elected officials and candidates from betting on elections.
The Minnesota House’s 2026 new-laws summary lists some Chapter 102 provisions as effective Aug. 1, 2026. Those provisions include changes affecting school-district election canvassing, requirements concerning polling places for special elections, and a petty misdemeanor for certain election prediction-market wagers.
The provisions on election prediction markets are distinct from candidate certification. They address election-related wagers, while certification concerns whether candidates have completed the legal ballot-access process for federal and state offices.
The House summary also identifies changes to school-election canvassing rules. Canvassing is the official process used to review and certify election results after voting; the packet does not specify how every revised provision will apply in each type of election procedure.
What remains ahead
Election officials and voters will operate under the applicable revised rules during the August primary and in preparation for the Nov. 3 general election. The official materials establish that some provisions began Aug. 1, while the session law contains a broader set of election-administration and absentee-voting changes.
The available records do not establish a single practical effect for all of the statutory revisions. Their application depends on the election procedure involved, including whether an election concerns a school district, a special election, absentee voting or another part of election administration.
What is clear from the certification action is the immediate calendar: Minnesota’s primary is Aug. 11, followed by the Nov. 3 general election. Candidates, election officials and voters will move through those contests with the newly effective provisions governing the procedures to which they apply.
Sources
- Candidates certified for 2026 primary election, Minnesota Secretary of State
- Chapter 102 — Minnesota Session Laws, Minnesota Revisor of Statutes
- New Laws 2026, Minnesota House of Representatives