(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota primary election is a week away, and from city councilor to congressman, there are a lot of races you will be able vote for.

Voters will soon have the chance to dictate who will be on the ballot in the November general election.

“We always encourage to come out so that no one wants surprises and there are some important races even during the primary,” Rochester Township clerk and head election official Randy Staber said.

Officials say months of preparation have gone into the upcoming primaries.

“The important thing for election judges is that we are politically agnostic on that day, we treat everyone the same, everyone’s vote matters,” Staber said.

So far, 102,687 people are registered to vote in Olmsted County, which has already surpassed the number of registered voters during the 2022 primary at 102,289.

That number is expected to keep rising.

“Olmsted County originally was at 85 precincts or so, we now have 110,” Olmsted County elections manager Amanda Kiefer said.

Part of the reason deals with population growth.

While we have seen the number of registered voters increase in Olmsted County, absentee voting tells a different story so far.

“We have a little bit of a lower turnout than we have had in the past for absentee voting itself, but that doesn’t speak on what might happen at the polls on Election Day,” Kiefer said.

So far, the number of absentee ballots issued is just over 4,103 which compared to the last primary election in 2022 that number was around 4,837, but a lot can change from now and Election Day.

To find out your polling place, click HERE.