Minnesota state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Elections in Minnesota, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16 , or in-person on Nov. 6
• Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: No
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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2018 Minnesota State Legislature elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	August 14, 2018

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The Democratic primary elections for seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives were on August 14, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Minnesota, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018. In the state House, all 134 seats were up for election. No Senate seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2017, Minnesota was one of 18 states under divided government and not one of the 32 states under a state government trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Retiring incumbents

Fifteen Democratic state House incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

• Jason Metsa (District 6B)
• Clark Johnson (District 19A)
• David Bly (District 20B)
• Debra Hilstrom (District 40B)
• Jon Applebaum (District 44B)
• Peggy Flanagan (District 46A)
• Laurie Pryor (District 48A)
• Paul Rosenthal (District 49B)
• Linda Slocum (District 50A)
• JoAnn Ward (District 53A)
• Erin Maye Quade (District 57A)
• Karen Clark (District 62A)
• Susan Allen (District 62B)
• Erin Murphy (District 64B)
• Sheldon Johnson (District 67B)

Competitiveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Minnesota state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

There were 23 open seats in 2018, which was lower than the 28 open seats in 2016 but higher than the 15 open seats in 2014. The 14 contested Democratic primaries was down from 17 in 2016 but up 6 in 2014. The 8 contested Republican primaries was down from 11 in 2016 and 9 2014. The 299 candidates running was down from 426 in 2016 and 275 in 2014.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	134	23	299	14	8	8.2%	7	6.3%
2016	201	28	426	17	11	7.0%	11	6.4%
2014	134	15	275	6	9	5.6%	5	4.2%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota State Senate as of August 2018:

Minnesota House of Representatives

Party		As of August 2018
	Democratic Party	56
	Republican Party	77
	Vacancies	1
Total		134

Minnesota State Senate

Party		As of August 2018
	Democratic Party	33
	Republican Party	33
	Vacancies	1
Total		67

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Minnesota state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Democratic caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the Minnesota state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

Media coverage

This section provides an overview of media reactions to the Minnesota state legislative Democratic primaries. Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the elections.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Minnesota utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Minnesota, most polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. However, some smaller municipalities may open their polls as late as 10:00 a.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

Voter pre-registration is available in Minnesota beginning at age 16. An individual must be 18 years old on Election Day in order to vote. To register to vote in Minnesota, an individual must be a United States citizen who has resided in the state for the 20-day period preceding the election.

An individual must register to vote at least 21 days before Election Day or on Election Day at a polling place. An individual may register to vote by completing a registration application and submitting it by mail or in-person to a local election official. An individual can also register online. To register at a polling place on Election Day, an individual must present valid identification.

The Minnesota voter registration application includes an option to join a permanent absentee voter list, which means the voter will automatically be sent an absentee/mail-in ballot for every election.

Automatic registration

Minnesota practices automatic voter registration.

Automatic voter registration took effect on June 1, 2023, as a result of HF 3, which was signed into law by Governor Tim Walz (D) on May 5, 2023.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Minnesota has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Minnesota allows for same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Minnesota, you must be a resident of the state for at least 20 days.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

As of October 2024, Minnesota did not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "giving false information is a felony punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Minnesota Secretary of State allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Minnesota does not generally require registered voters to present identification while voting.

If you are registering to vote at the polls or have not voted in at least four years, you will need to bring proof of residency to the polls. Click here to see what qualifies as acceptable proof of residency.

The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.

These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

Early voting

Minnesota permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

There are no eligibility requirements to vote absentee in Minnesota.

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.

Prospective voters may select an option on the Minnesota voter registration application to join a permanent absentee voter list, which means they will automatically be sent an absentee/mail-in ballot for every election.

See also

• Minnesota state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
• Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2018
• Minnesota State Legislature
• Minnesota elections, 2018