COVER
NEED TO KNOW: PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION PRIMARY ELECTIONS
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BY SYDNEY LEWIS
ince 1992, Minnesota has held presidential nomination elections through a caucus system. The last time Minnesota held a presidential primary, the election did not bind delegates into voting for who the population of Minnesota voted for. Now, the newly implemented primary elections will be binding for delegates. The elections will be held on “Super Tuesday,” March 3, the biggest day in primary voting around the country. Early absentee voting has been open since January 17. Minnesota will still have caucuses for non-presidential elections. Caucuses are forums where voters can express opinions on issues, and after several hours of debate, they cast a vote for a candidate. The caucus system is structured to allow major political parties to endorse a candidate for election. For example, in 2018 Tim Walz and Jeff Johnson won the DFL and GOP endorsements, respectively, for governor. In a primary system, voters head to the polls, select a party, then choose a candidate from the ballot-- thus indicating whom they want to be the nominee for their party. The head of the two major political parties in the state sent a list of candidates they want on the ballot to the Secretary of State. State representative Laurie Pryor sees the move to a presidential primary as “a better way to get people to participate” because there was a real barrier for voters when using caucuses. For caucuses, several hundred people at one location attempted to have civil discourse on issues they care about. Instead of the minutes that voting in a primary takes, voters had to spend up to four hours talking about candidates. People who had the ability to go for those hours and potentially miss work or school were over-represented in the caucus voting. While Democrats will have a large number of options when choosing their representative for the Democratic Party in the general election, Minnesota Republicans will only see President Donald Trump’s name on the ballot. The Minnesota Supreme Court recently heard a case arguing that the Minnesota GOP should not be allowed to put only one name on the ballot. The court did not rule in favor of the plaintiff, a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for president.
DESIGN BY SYDNEY LEWIS
Some people have speculated whether or not voter turnout will be lower because there will be only one Republican on the ballot. Congressional District Three had the highest voter turnout in the country in 2018. Eden Prairie City Clerk, Kathleen Porta, said Hennepin County expects an over 51 percent voter turnout. When voting, voters must pick a political party from which to choose a candidate. Minnesota voters do not register and are not members of political parties. Any voter can enter the polling booth and pick any political party from which to choose a candidate. Their choice will only be accessible to the major political parties of the state. After picking a ballot, voters will choose a candidate to vote for and will submit their ballot. Minnesota is progressive in the sense of voter accessibility. Voters can register to vote in person on election day or register online in less than five minutes. Voters will not need a drivers’ license on voting day if they are pre-registered.
ON THE BALLOT Democratic-Farmer-Labor: Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Joseph Biden, Deval Patrick, Michael R. Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Marianne Williamson, John K. Delaney, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard Republican: Donald J. Trump Find more information on where and how to vote on the Secretary of State’s website.
