Politics and Elections

Minnesota Election Information

• Center for the Study of Politics and Governance - A part of the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. Their Smart Politics website offers national and local political analysis.
• Elections & Redistricting - Publications from the Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department.
• League of Women Voters Minnesota - Information about the League's activities and publications, as well as Minnesota legislative and election links.
• Minnesota Recount Laws - Information gathered by the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Citizens for Election Integrity - MN.
• Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State - Minnesota's secretary of state serves as the chief elections officer in Minnesota and works closely with county and local election officials to administer elections. The secretary chairs a State Canvassing Board, which certifies the results of elections.
  • Election Administration and Campaigns - this area of the SOS website provides information on how to become a candidate, Minnesota election laws, calendars, and election data and maps.
  • Minnesota Precinct Caucus Information and a Caucus Finder - Use to find out where to attend your precinct caucus.
  • My Ballot - An interactive database that provides the names of candidates and questions that will be on the ballot for your precinct.
• Researching Legislators - A compilation of print and online resources on current and former Minnesota legislators from the Legislative Reference Library.

Minnesota Media Political Coverage

• Minnesota Politics and Government on Twitter - A wiki listing of Minnesota politicians, governments, political reporters, bloggers and others who are involved in politics and have a Twitter presence.
• Politics - Online coverage of Minnesota politics from Minnesota Public Radio - Website includes campaign coverage for 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, and 2004.
• The Political Animal - Politics and policy of Minnesota from Pioneer Press reporters (blog).
• Politically Connected - The Star Tribune's page related to politics.
• Politics in Minnesota - An online magazine devoted to Minnesota politics.
• Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) - Two weekly programs that focus on Minnesota politics, Almanac and Almanac at the Capitol (during the legislative session).
• WCCO's Reality Check - Minnesota veteran TV reporter, Pat Kessler, investigates issues and political ads for their veracity.

Minnesota Lobbying and Campaign Finance

• Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board Appointments - A publication from the Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department.
• Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board - Responsible for the development and administration of programs for registration, disclosure, and enforcement of the Ethics in Government Act. A variety of Public Official Lists and Lobbyist Lists are available, as well as the Lobbyist Handbook.
• Minnesota Government Relations Council (MGRC) - Formed in 1979, the MGRC is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the ethical and professional standards of legislative representation.
• Legislator Voting Records and Ratings - A Minnesota Legislative Reference Library guide to votes cast by Minnesota Legislators.
• Lobbying (in Minnesota) - Provides a basic overview from the Minnesota State Legislature's website.

Minnesota Political Parties

• State Regulation of Political Parties - A 7-page brief from the Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department.
• Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party (Minnesota) - Information on DFL leadership and elected officials with current press releases and Ongoing Platform. See also the national Democratic Party site.
• Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party - Permanent party platform.
• Green Party of Minnesota - See also the national Green Party of the United States site.
• Independence Party of Minnesota - Includes their platform.
• Legal Marijuana Now Party - Opposed to drug prohibition, Legal Marijuana Now was established in 1998 in St. Paul, MN. 
• Libertarian Party of Minnesota - Includes their platform. See also the national Libertarian Party site.
• Minnesota/Dakotas District, CPUSA - Links to the national Communist Party USA site.
• Natural Law Party - Platform, news and issues.
• Republican Party of Minnesota - Information on party leadership, elected officials, and their 2016 Statement of Principles. See also the Republican National Committee, including party platform documents.

National Election Issues

• Campaigns & Elections - Online version of the magazine with the same name.
• Cato Institute - An independent, nonprofit organization for public policy research. The site provides information on a wide range of public policy issues.
• Center for American Women and Politics - Statistical data compiled by Rutgers University related to women elected to or serving in state and national government offices in the United States. The Fast Facts page provides links to current and historical data.
• The Electoral College - An overview from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
• Felony Disenfranchisement - Comparisons by state, compiled by the The Sentencing Project.
• National Association of Secretaries of State - A wealth of election related information.
• National Popular Vote - Nonprofit group attempting to make the electoral college vote for president reflect the popular vote.
• The Pew Research Center - An independent research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics, and public policy issues. Their site includes: Electionline.org - current news and information related to election reform.
• Project Vote Smart - A national, nonprofit, nonpartisan voter information service. Use their Voting Records area to see how your U.S. Congressperson or State Legislator has voted on a particular bill.
• Public Agenda Online - An issue oriented look at the current political scene.
• Recall of State Officials - The National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL) site with current information on the eighteen states that allow for recall. Site also provides recall history, use of recall over time, and grounds for recall in the various states.
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission - Their recently redesigned website aims to help the public find answers to their voting questions. The website seeks to create a centralized database of information on past elections.
• U.S. Electoral College - Information from the National Archives and Records Administration.
• Voter Identification Requirements - Current information on Voter ID laws and developments provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

National Lobbying and Campaign Finance

• Campaign Finance - Information from the Brookings Institution.
• Common Cause - A large, nonprofit, grass roots initiative promoting "open, honest, and accountable government." Many of its efforts focus on campaign finance and lobby disclosure reforms.
• FactCheck.org - A nonpartisan site dedicated to the reduction of confusion and deception in the United States political process. This watchdog group monitors the accuracy of political statements made by the major political players.
• Federal Election Commission - The independent federal agency that gathers financial information on presidential and congressional campaigns.
• Follow the Money.org - Reports and a searchable database on campaign contributions in state politics. Includes information on Minnesota candidates.
• Initiative and Referendum Institute - Located at the University of Southern California, this group provides a wealth of information on initiative and referendum. Includes Statewide I and R data as well as national and local.
• OpenSecrets.org - Center for Responsive Politics - Provides databases, searchable by zip code, for researching the role money plays in Congressional elections and actions.

Redistricting

• Elections & Redistricting - Publications from the Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department.
• Redistricting in Minnesota - Legislative Reference Library overview of the reapportionment and redistricting process. The guide provides information and links to many resources, as well as links to four decades of guides on Minnesota's redistricting efforts: 2020, 2010, 2000 and 1990. 
• Congressional Demographics - New look-up tool from the U.S. Census Bureau that allows quick display of population, education, housing, marital status and other data about each Congressional District.

Voting Statistics and Election Results --Historical

• American National Election Studies (ANES) - High quality data on voting, public opinion, and political participation since 1948.
• Elections & Politics News - From Cable Network News (CNN); their site provides historical data on the presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial races in the United States from Election Center 2016, Election Center 2014, Election Center 2012, Election Center 2010, Election Center 2008, America Votes 2006, America Votes 2004, and Elections 2002.
• Minnesota Election Results - Historical election data from the Minnesota Secretary of State.
• Minnesota Historical Election Archive - Searchable website collecting the returns of nearly 20,000 elections since statehood. Curated by Smart Politics.
• U.S. Census Data on Voting and Registration - Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the United States population as it relates to voting.

See Also Special Interest Groups

The sites listed on this page are not created, maintained, or endorsed by the Minnesota Legislature.