Yesterday’s presidential nomination primary was a success.
I likened this primary to ‘jumping off the dock into the lake together’—we took the plunge with our partners at the cities and counties, as well as the voters of Minnesota. We hadn’t held a binding primary like this since 1956, and so there was no real way to predict how voters would turn out.
Results are still unofficial, but my office is reporting over 885,000 primary voters, or statewide turnout of 21.7%. That 885,000 represents a 177% increase compared to participants in the 2016 caucuses.
I am thrilled that Minnesotans turned out in these numbers for our new presidential primary. The purpose of this new election was to swing the doors wide open to more participation, and yesterday we saw just that. Many of these voters chose to cast their ballots early, which highlights another benefit of the primary: our 46-day no excuses absentee period. Minnesotans have shown that they’re confident in our election system and eager to participate in the selection of the most powerful office in the nation. I still believe there is time to place some guardrails around the party preference data collected in this election, which will ensure voters that we are serious about protecting their privacy.
Throughout the day yesterday, I was in touch with local election administrators at the county level, and the feedback I received was uniformly positive. Notwithstanding the erroneous pollfinder link that was briefly displayed by my office, the election was administered well. Polling places were operating smoothly, election results were transmitted and reported reliably, and there were no major problems with voting.
I’m heartened by this display of our state’s civic engagement. I, my office, and local officials around the state now look ahead to the August primary and November general election, and look forward to providing the same secure and reliable service to the people of Minnesota.
See results from the March 3, 2020 Presidential Nomination Primary here.