Minnesota elections, 2012
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Minnesota's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
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| Contents |
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| 1 2012 Elections |
| 2 Eligibility to Vote |
| 2.1 Primary election |
| 2.2 General election |
| 3 Voting absentee |
| 3.1 Eligibility |
| 3.2 Deadlines |
| 3.3 Military and overseas voting |
| 4 Voting early |
| 5 See also |
| 6 References |
The state of Minnesota held elections in 2012. Below are the dates of note:
- Signature filing deadline: June 5, 2012
- Primary date: August 14, 2012
- General election date: November 6, 2012
| On the 2012 ballot | Click here for all November 6, 2012 Election Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate (1 seat) | 
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Preview Article | |
| U.S. House (8 seats) |
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| State Executives | 
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N/A | |
| State Senate (67 seats) |
|
Preview Article | |
| State House (134 seats) |
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| Ballot measures (1 measure) |
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Preview Article | |
2012 Elections
For election results in the 50 states, see our November 6, 2012 election results page
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Amy Klobuchar Incumbent |
65.2% | 1,854,595 | |
| Republican | Kurt Bills | 30.5% | 867,974 | |
| Independence | Stephen Williams | 2.6% | 73,539 | |
| Grassroots | Tim Davis | 1.1% | 30,531 | |
| Progressive | Michael Cavlan | 0.5% | 13,986 | |
| Total Votes | 2,843,207 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link) | ||||
U.S. House
| Members of the U.S. House from Minnesota -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 4 | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | 3 | |
| Total | 8 | 8 | |
| District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| 1st |  Tim Walz Allen Quist |
Tim Walz | Tim Walz |
No |
| 2nd | Mike Obermueller John Kline |
John Kline | John Kline |
No |
| 3rd | Brian Barnes Erik Paulsen |
Erik Paulsen | Erik Paulsen |
No |
| 4th | Betty McCollum Tony Hernandez Steve Carlson |
Betty McCollum | Betty McCollum |
No |
| 5th | Keith Ellison Chris Fields |
Keith Ellison | Keith Ellison |
No |
| 6th | Jim Graves Michele Bachmann |
Michele Bachmann | Michele Bachmann |
No |
| 7th | Collin Peterson Lee Byberg Adam Steele |
Collin Peterson | Collin Peterson |
No |
| 8th | Rick Nolan Chip Cravaack |
Chip Cravaack | Rick Nolan |
Yes |
State Senate
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state senate.
| Minnesota State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 30 | 39 | |
| Republican Party | 37 | 28 | |
| Total | 67 | 67 | |
State House
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state house.
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 61 | 73 | |
| Republican Party | 72 | 61 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 134 | 134 | |
Ballot measures
- See also: Minnesota 2012 ballot measures
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Amendment 1 | Marriage | Would ban same-sex marriage. | |
| LRCA | Amendment 2 | Elections | Would require people to present photo identification to vote. | |
Eligibility to Vote
Primary election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 primary elections
Minnesota was one of 16 states to use an open primary system. Voters who wanted to register in advance were required to pre-register at least 21 days before Election Day. However, voters could also register on Election Day at their polling place. (Information about registering to vote)
General election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 general elections
The deadline to register to vote was 21 days prior to the election day, which in 2012 was October 16.[1][2]
- Voter ID info
- Residency requirements: Resided in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding Election Day[3]
- Same-day registration: Yes[4]
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
There are no eligibility requirements to vote absentee in Minnesota.[5][6]
There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. A completed ballot must be returned on or before Election Day for it to be counted.[7][6]
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "although [Minnesota does] not have early voting in the traditional sense .... [the state does] allow a voter to apply in person for an absentee ballot (without an excuse) and cast that ballot in one trip to an election official's office. This is often known as 'in-person absentee' voting."[8]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Voter Guide" accessed May 7, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Registering to Vote" accessed May 7, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmn - ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Registering to Vote" accessed July 12, 2012
- ↑ Star Tribune, "No excuse needed to vote absentee in Minnesota," June 22, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Vote Early By Mail," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota Absentee Ballot Application," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Absentee and Early Voting," February 11, 2015
