Minnesota is one of 15 states hosting presidential primaries across the U.S. next week on what’s known as Super Tuesday.
What’s at stake? The contests will award around one-third of the delegates needed for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations.
In Minnesota, voters will be able to cast ballots for one of three parties in the state for their presidential nominee. Winners are awarded delegates by their party, who then back the candidate for the party’s presidential nomination at the national convention.
The Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the Legal Marijuana Now Party have separate ballots. Only political parties with “major party” status have presidential primary ballots in Minnesota.
Tuesday’s primary is only for major parties with presidential candidates. It’s worth noting that some of the candidates may have already dropped out but still have their names on the ballot.
The two candidates on the Republican ballot who are still in the race are former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. In that race 39 delegates are at stake.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie dropped out of the race in January.
On the Democrats’ ballot, candidates are vying for 92 delegates. Besides President Joe Biden, there are eight Democratic candidates:
• Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips
• Jason Palmer
• Eban Cambridge
• Marianne Williamson
• Frankie Lozada
• Gabriel Cornejo
• Cenk Uygur
• Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato
There’s also a push in Minnesota for voters to pick the uncommitted option on the ballot in a push for President Biden to call for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Legal Marijuana Now, which only has ballot access in Minnesota and Nebraska, has five candidates on its ballot:
• Vermin Supreme
• Krystal Gabel
• Dennis Schuller
• Edward Forchion
• Rudy Reyes
Other parties recognized in Minnesota — Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis, the Independence-Alliance Party, and the Libertarian Party of Minnesota — do not take part in the presidential primary.
Super Tuesday won’t decide the party nominees, but nearly 900 delegates are on the table for Republicans and more than 1,400 are at stake for Democrats.
To clinch the Republican nomination, a candidate needs 1,215 delegates. So far, Trump has 122. Biden needs 1,968 to secure the Democratic nomination and has won more than 200 delegates.
Who can vote?
Minnesota has an open primary, meaning anyone 18 or older who is a citizen of the U.S. and not currently incarcerated can participate. The state has same-day voter registration.
Felons on probation had their voting rights restored last year, and the new state law remains in effect despite an ongoing legal challenge from a conservative group.
Unlike many other states, Minnesota does not require party registration to participate in a primary. But voters have to choose one party’s ballot.
Voters must request the ballot of their party of choice, which is recorded as private data by the state and is shared with the party the voter chooses. Before this year, the party a voter chose was shared with all the parties.
Party choice is shared, but which candidate the voter chooses on a ballot is not shared with anyone.
For more information on how and where to vote, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website: sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/
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