Minnesota State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

Minnesota

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: None; 4-year term)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 1 and 2)
2000 Representatives:	8	(1.84% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	8	(1.84% of 435)
2004 Electors:	10	(1.87% of 535)
1990 Census:	4,375,665	(1.76% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	4,925,670	(1.75% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	3,265,324
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	3,547,000
Capital:	St. Paul

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States Alphabetically Current Minnesota Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of Minnesota
	Organized as a Territory: 3 March 1849. 9 Stat. 403:carved from part of Wisconsin Territory and a portion of the unorganized so-called "Indian country" of old Missouri Territory left over from when Missouri had been admitted as a State back in 1821 (NOTE: this is not to be at all confused with that Indian Territory which eventually became the State of Oklahoma and which was established just south of this "Indian country")
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 11 May 1858 by an Act of Congress (11 Stat. 285)
	The 32nd state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: MIDWEST
	Region: Great Plains
	Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 26 February 1857 [11 Stat. 166: authorizing formation of a State government alone]

• 1st (1858--) [Adopted: 29 August 1857 Convention convened, 13 July 1857, Ratified: 13 October 1857 ratified by a vote of 36,240 to 700; effective upon Admission, 11 May 1858]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• Lieutenant Governor [elected on same ticket with GOVERNOR; nominated with Governor as well]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: None
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Elected on a ticket with the Governor.
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Treasurer (--2002): 4 year term, Final Election Cycle: 1998. The office of Treasurer is no longer going to be an elective office, so there will be no election held for this office in 2002 or any time thereafter.
	• Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• LEGISLATURE

Upper House
	• Senate
Lower House
	• House of Representatives

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Court of Appeals

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• county [Type: Broad, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• township [Type: Limited, Executive: Board of Supervisors, Legislative: Town(ship) Meeting]

Incorporated Municipalities All States


Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States
	Minnesota Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• The state general election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year. [204D.03 Subdivision 2]
State Primary All States
	• The state primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September in each even-numbered year. [204D.03 Subdivision 1]
Polling times All States
	• ... at the state primary and the state general election the hours for voting in every precinct in the state shall begin at 7:00 a.m. and shall extend continuously until 8:00 p.m. [204C.05, Minnesota Statutes 2006 Subdivision 1.] The governing body of a town with less than 500 inhabitants ... may fix a later time for voting to begin at state primary, special, or general elections ... The later time may not be later than 10:00 a.m. [204C.05, Minnesota Statutes 2006 Subd. 1a.] An unorganized territory or unorganized territories which ... may have shorter voting hours if at least 20 percent of the registered voters ... sign a petition for shorter hours ... The later time may not be later than 10:00 a.m. [204C.05, Minnesota Statutes 2006 Subd. 1b.]

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution
	• http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/rules/mncon/preamble.htm
Election Authority
	• Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
	• Minnesota Secretary of State Elections and Voting
Legislature
	• Minnesota House of Representatives
	• Minnesota Senate
	• Minnesota State Legislature
Democratic
	• Minnesota Democratic-Farmer Labor Party
Republican
	• Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus
	• Republican Party of Minnesota
	• Republican Party of Minnesota
Third Party
	• Communist Party USA - Central and Southern Minnesota District
	• Constitution Party of Minnesota
	• Green Party of Minnesota
	• Independence Party of Minnesota The Independence Party of Minnesota voted to affiliate with the Independence Party of America on 26 January 2008.
	• Liberal Party of Minnesota
	• Libertarian Party of Minnesota
	• Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life
	• Minnesota Senate DFL Caucus
	• New Union Party
Media & others
	• Anoka County Union - Coon Rapids
	• Brainerd Dispatch
	• Cannon Falls Beacon
	• Checks & Balances
	• Coon Rapids Herald
	• DC's Political Report - Minnesota
	• Duluth News Tribune- Duluth
	• Echo Press - Alexandria
	• KSTP TV - ABC - Saint Paul
	• Lee Helgen for St. Paul, Minnesota City Council
	• Minnesota E-Democracy - Minneapolis
	• Minnesota Public Radio
	• MNPolitics.com
	• Morrison County Record - Little Falls
	• Northfield.org
	• Pioneer Press - Minneapolis - St. Paul
	• Politics In Minnesota - Saint Paul
	• Politics1.com - Minnesota
	• Southwest Journal
	• St. Paul Legal Ledger
	• Star Tribune - Minneapolis
	• The Annandale Advocate
	• The Austin Daily Herald
	• The Free Press - Mankato
	• The Journal - New Ulm
	• The West Central Tribune - Willmar
	• Thisweek Newspapers - Burnsville
	• Winona Daily News