2026 General Election: What's on the Ballot?
Student wears a “I Voted” Sticker
Voting can be confusing. Here's a list of candidates, and their policies as a guide for the polls. You will also be asked to vote for, or against an amendment regarding a Minnesota education fund on your ballot. Make sure to register to vote and have your voice heard in the general election this November 3rd!
A guide for these bios:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party : (D)
Republican Party: (R)
Libertarian Party: (L)
Independent Party: (I)
Green Party: (G)
Incumbent: This candidate already holds the position they are running for
Write-In: If you want to vote for them you have to write their name in the write in portion as they are not already on ballots.
PAC: Political Action Committees are organizations that exist to raise and spend money on political candidates and usually represent certain ideological interests, industries or business.
FEDERAL
U.S Senator Minnesota:
Peggy Flanagan (D): Flanagan is opposed to corporate PACs and special interest groups and pledges to not take any money from these entities. Important issues for her include having Medicare for all, making life in Minnesota more affordable, as well as making the current markets better for our farmers. She also strives for humane treatment of immigrants but believes we need to modernize the immigration system to maintain order.
Michele Tafoya (R): Tafoya wants to address issues like stopping fraud by deporting immigrants who are convicted of fraud and by treating fraud as a more serious offense in the legal system. She supports law enforcement and fights for protecting middle class families from increasing taxes.
Rebecca Whiting (L): Whiting stands for ending wars and bringing our troops home because she believes that service members should not be put in unnecessary danger. She also believes in adopting a policy of non-intervention and to stop engaging in issues that don't pertain to us.
Marisa Simonetti (I): Important issues to Simonetti include supporting farmers, teachers and Minnesota's children through backing legislation that benefits farmers and for fighting for stable public school funding.
Alycia Gruenhagen (R) (Write-in): Gruenhagen believes that bipartisanship is the most successful way to govern and heavily supports nature conservation and small businesses.
U.S. Minnesota House District 8
Pete Stauber (R) (Incumbent): Stauber has served as the Minnesota House Representative for District 8 since 2019. He supports critical mineral mining in northeastern Minnesota and opposes state mining bans. He also fights for government accountability and fraud prevention in the government.
Trina Swanson (D): Swanson's campaign is built on universal healthcare and making the cost of healthcare lower. She is concerned with mining in northeastern Minnesota, and believes it's an essential part of the economy but that it is important to keep the water clean and the miners safe and jobs secure. She fights for secure borders and fair treatment of immigrants as well as having manageable costs and livable wages for Minnesotans.
MINNESOTA STATE
Minnesota Alter Investment and Distribution Policies for Permanent School Fund Amendment (2026) Ballot Question: Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund, which is a fund that supports school districts without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027?
A vote “Yes”: Supports amending the constitution to change policies involving the investment and distribution of the Minnesota Permanent School Fund. This would increase the amount of money from this fund going to schools.
A vote “No”: Opposes amending the constitution to change policies involving the investment and distribution of the Minnesota Permanent School Fund. This means that the fund would continue sending the same amount of money to schools.
If you abstain from voting, it will automatically be counted as a no vote.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota:
Amy Klobuchar and Ben Schierer (D): Klobuchar plans to make the state government serve its residents more than it is now, and make a better system for Minnesotan businesses seeking permits and licenses. She plans to make state money go farther in the government which ultimately saves money for Minnesotans. She also plans to work on stopping fraud before it starts and addressing it when cases arise.
Lisa Demuth and Ryan Wilson (R): Demuth's top priority if elected will be helping Minnesotans afford their lives by lowering taxes and lowering energy bills by repealing the ban on nuclear energy. Other big initiatives for her campaign are eliminating fraud, public safety, and attempting to improve the education system.
Steven Young and Jane Kirby (G): Young's main focus is social justice and keeping the residents of Minnesota safe. He is also pushing for the Green Jobs program to help stabilize the economy.
Minnesota Secretary of State:
Steve Simon (D) (Incumbent): Simon has served as Minnesota Secretary of State since 2015 and is up for re-election. His goals are to make voting more accessible, make business services straightforward and to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence.
Tad Jude (R): Jude plans to prevent voter fraud by requiring photo ID to vote and ensuring that only legal U.S. Citizens vote in elections. He is also pushing to bring back the traditional Minnesota flag that was changed in 2024.
Seth Kuhl-Stennes (G): Kuhl-Steenes’s goals as Secretary of State would be to increase voter participation and uphold election integrity as well as instituting an electoral system that honors the will of Minnesota's voters by using methods that more accurately represent what voters want as opposed to systems like the Electoral College.
George “Chip” Tangen (L): Tangen prides himself on not being affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties which he feels is a good place for the Secretary of State to be. He thinks that his impartiality ensures election integrity. He believes that independent voters deserve more choices than the partisan candidates we are used to seeing on the ballot.
Attorney General of Minnesota:
Keith Ellison (D) (Incumbent): Keith Ellison has served as Attorney General of Minnesota since 2019 and strives to make life affordable for Minnesotans. He fights for public safety through going after violent crimes and by holding negligent gun sellers accountable. He is also concerned with fraud in Minnesota and says he works on preventing and persecuting it.
Ron Schutz (R): If elected, Schutz says that he would work to reduce fraud in Minnesota and would make it a top priority. He stands for tackling crime and supporting law enforcement to make this state safer for its residents.
Minnesota State Auditor:
Zack Filipovich (D): Filipovich believes that his background as an accountant makes him the best fit for the Minnesota State Auditor position. His campaign is built on being transparent with taxpayers about where their money is going and building trust with the communities he would serve.
Scott Jensen (R): If elected Jensen says he would fight to stop fraud, hold fraudulent businesses accountable and would implement internal controls to validate service providers. He believes that taxpayers want transparency and efficiency and that he can give it to them.
Jay Reeves (Forward Independence Party): A big priority for Reeves is modernizing the technology used by the State Auditors Office. If elected he plans to implement technology-enabled fraud detection, streamlined reporting for local governments and strong cybersecurity.
Minnesota State Senate District 8:
Jen McEwen (D) (Incumbent): For McEwen, who has served in the Senate since 2021, taxing the richest Minnesotans and making life more affordable for the other 98% is one of the most important policies that she hopes to enact. She is also concerned with making housing and childcare affordable for Minnesotans as well as keeping the water and other environmental bodies in her district clean and protected.
Darrick Law (R): Laws campaign is based on making a budget that is beneficial for Minnesotans and eliminates wasteful spending. She plans to tackle fraud by supporting stronger audits and increased oversight and says that she will fight for lower taxes. Strong infrastructure, affordable energy, and healthcare are also issues she intends to address if elected.
Minnesota House of Representatives District 8B:
Liish Kozlowski (D) (Incumbent): Kozlowski has served as a representative for Minnesota since 2022 and fights for Tribal Nation and other communities that are often left behind. They believe in making the government work for its residents through more affordable housing and by protecting the land, air, and water. Properly funding schools is also a big issue for Kozlowski as well as workers rights and a universal healthcare system.
Shawn Savela (R): If elected, Savela intends to support Minnesotans by protecting taxpayer dollars through fraud prevention and accountability from state entities that allow fraud to occur. He plans to lower taxes for families, and believes that public safety, education and freedom are important things to uphold. He plans to create jobs in northern Minnesota through the vast resources that the region contains.
For more information on what is on the ballot or how to vote, visit the Secretary of State’s website at: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot