MN State Canvassing Board certifies 2024 primary elections

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A voter in the Minnesota 2024 primary election (FOX 9).

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota officials have certified the results of the state's 2024 primary elections, saying they saw a drop in overall voter turnout.

The brief

The Minnesota State Canvassing Board has officially certified the results of the 2024 primary after voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
A total of 543,982 Minnesotans voted, or 12.77% of the eligible voting population.
This is a drop from the last three state primary elections that saw about 20% of the population vote, but an increase from the 2016 primary that saw 7.42% of the population vote.

What we know

The primaries set the stage for the November general election, with partisan races in the U.S. Congress and the Minnesota Legislature on the ballot, as well as some county, city and school board races.

Some of the notable race results included Ilhan Omar retaining her spot as the DFL's U.S. House Fifth District nominee and Michelle Fischbach winning the GOP's U.S. House Seventh District nomination.

State officials also provided annual statistics to show how this year's primary compares to turnout in past elections.

What they're saying

Secretary of State Steve Simon released a statement saying he expects more voters to be engaged in the general election later this year.

"Voters have a variety of big and small reasons as to why they choose to vote or not to vote," Secretary of State Steve Simon said. "We know that low turnout primaries are not indicative of low turnout general elections. This November, we can expect to see a much higher turnout than the primary as we do every election season."