What to watch in Minnesota's midterm election
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If you aren't one of the record 860,000-plus Minnesotans who have already voted, it's time to get to the ballot box and fill those bubbles.
The stakes: Sky-high. At the top of the ticket, Minnesotans will pick a new governor and a new U.S. senator.
- All 201 state legislative seats are up for grabs, with the balance of power at the State Capitol on the line.
Plus: Ballots feature competitive races for other statewide offices, including a nationally watched attorney general contest, and a constitutional amendment that aims to unlock more school funding without raising taxes.
- All eight U.S. House seats — including an open race in the suburban 2nd Congressional District and the surprisingly close and costly race for the 1st Congressional District — are also up for a vote.
Zoom in: Depending on where you live, you may also have consequential local races to vote on.
- Hennepin County voters will select a new top prosecutor and decide whether to reelect two county commissioners and the sheriff.
- The Minneapolis School Board elections will shape how the district deals with serious enrollment and fiscal challenges after shelving a plan to close schools, as Sahan Journal reports.
In St. Paul, voters will fill three school board seats and vote on a "right-to-repair" ballot measure. It would give tenants the right to fix their rental housing and bill their landlords for it.
- There are also two contested races for the Ramsey County board — including one St. Paul district that's electing a new commissioner for the first time since 1994.
Plus: Plenty of suburbs, including Brooklyn Center, Eagan, Maple Grove, Plymouth and Woodbury, have mayoral elections. Even more are voting on council and school board seats.
Where things stand: The latest polls (and prediction markets) point to Democrats continuing their two-decade streak of winning statewide offices.
Yes, but: Republicans remain hopeful that voter frustration over fraud in state-run programs can help them overcome national political headwinds. GOP groups had also outspent DFL-aligned ones as of late October.
What to watch (when the polls close): The success of the DFL ticket likely hinges on high turnout and big margins in the populous metro. Republicans need to run up the score in Greater Minnesota to win, as the Star Tribune's Briana Bierschbach, a veteran of state elections, notes.
- A close race in the 1st Congressional District — which President Trump carried by a 12-point margin in 2024 — could also signal a good night for Democrats across the board.
Go deeper via full voter guides published by the Star Tribune, MPR News, Sahan Journal and KAXE.
How to vote
📍 Polling places are open 7am to 8pm. If you're in line when they close, you can still vote. Find your location.
🙋♀️ U.S. citizens who are at least 18 and have lived in Minnesota for 20 days are eligible to vote.
- No ID is required to vote in Minnesota.
📝 You can register — or update your registration if you moved or changed your name — in person at the polling place. What to bring.
🔎 Generate a sample ballot to see what you'll be voting on before you go.
📬 Mail-in ballots must arrive by 8pm. If you still have yours, you can drop it off at the election office that sent it to you or you can go cast a new one in person.
👀 Results will start to trickle in after polls close at 8pm. It's not unusual to see big swings as more ballots are processed.
📱 Have a question or run into an issue? Call 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) to reach an election worker between 7am and 8pm.