The Aug. 14 DFL and Republican primary elections are fast approaching, but you don't have to wait until then to cast your ballot. Early primary voting kicked off on Friday, June 29. Here's a quick guide to voting early in Minnesota's primary elections.
What are primary elections?
Primaries are intra-party elections for certain races, in which voters select the candidates for their preferred major political party that appear on the ballot on Election Day, which this year falls on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
For example, there may be several Democrats or Republicans running in a given U.S. House district. Primary voters will determine which one of these candidates from each party will appear on the November ballot.
Minnesota has an "open" primary system, which means a voter can choose to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary, regardless of their personal party registration. In non-presidential election years, there is just one ballot that contains both DFL and Republican contests, but voters can only vote for one party or the other.
Which races will be on the primary ballot?
Minnesota is expected to be a major battleground in the GOP's effort to retain control of Congress this fall. All eight U.S. House seats are on the ballot, as are both of the state's U.S. senators (Sen. Amy Klobuchar is up for re-election, while a special election is being held for the seat occupied by Sen. Tina Smith, who was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton following Sen. Al Franken's resignation in January).
In addition, any of the 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives with more than one candidate from either major party, and most statewide offices, including governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, will be on the primary ballot.
There may also be some nonpartisan county, municipal or school board races on the primary ballot, as well as some ballot questions. In a nonpartisan contest, the top vote-getters will advance to the general election.
Who is running?
We've compiled bios and campaign finance information for many of the major candidates for Minnesota governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate candidates. You can see a full list of all current candidates for every federal or statewide office that will appear on the November ballot at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.