Tuesday 7 February 2012: First Level Precinct Caucuses. The caucuses elect delegates to the Organizing Unit Conventions. A Presidential Preference ballot is taken from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

"Minnesota is a caucus/convention state that utilizes a binding ballot taken at the precinct caucuses and affirmed at the Organizing Unit Convention." [Delegate Selection Plan, Section III.A.6.a.]

These precinct meetings make up what is generally known as a "firehouse primary": during Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party precinct meetings- in which local party officers are elected and delegates are chosen for the party's county and higher tier conventions (organizational bodies having nothing directly to do with the pledging of National Convention delegates to presidential contenders [although these later meetings will choose the actual delegates themselves]).

7 February 2012: While we do not a breakdown of the Congressional District vote (actually, re-districting is still in progress), we assume that President Obama is the only candidate to receive 15% in any CD and will received all of the state's pledged delegates.

Tuesday 6 March - Sunday 8 April 2012: Second Level Organizing Unit Conventions. 91 of 107 delegates to the Democratic National Convention are pledged to presidential contenders based on the results of the voting in the Minnesota Organizing Unit Conventions. Actually, attendees vote to affirm the Presidential Preference ballot taken at the Precinct Caucuses. A mandatory 15 percent threshold is required in order for a presidential contender to be pledged National Convention delegates at either the congressional district or statewide level.

• 59 district delegates are to be pledged proportionally to presidential contenders based on the results from the Conventions in each of the State's 8 congressional districts. (numbers are from 4 January 2012)
• CD 1: 6
• CD 2: 7
• CD 3: 7
• CD 4: 8
• CD 5: 10
• CD 6: 7
• CD 7: 6
• CD 8: 8
• In addition, 32 delegates are to be pledged to presidential contenders based statewide results of the caucuses.
  • 20 at-large National Convention delegates
  • 12 Pledged PLEOs

At the county unit level, delegates and alternates are elected to the Congressional District and State Conventions.

Monday 9 April - Friday 1 June 2012: Third Level Congressional District Conventions. National Convention District delegates are elected according to the Presidential Preferences affirmed at the Unit Conventions.

Saturday 2 June - Sunday 3 June 2012: Fourth Level State Convention.

National Convention Pledged PLEO and At-Large delegates are elected according to the Presidential Preferences affirmed at the Unit Conventions.

The remaining 16 National Convention delegates consist of

• 16 Unpledged PLEO delegates:
• 8 Democratic National Committee members.
• 6 Members of Congress (2 Senators and 4 Representatives).
• 1 Governor.
• 1 Distinguished Party Leader (former Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale).

These 16 delegates and will go to the Democratic National Convention officially "Unpledged".

Notes:

The Minnesota was revised on 14 April 2011. Minnesota's delegates are pledged to presidential contenders according to the results of the Tuesday 7 February 2012 Precinct Caucuses. However, the party states that the Precinct Caucus results will not be announced until 6 March 2012-- the first date that jurisdictions other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina may begin their process. Minnesota's first determining step is before the 6 March 2012 window so it will be interesting to see how the Rules and By-laws Committee responds.

HF 986 and SF 696 were filed on 9 March 2011. Both would move the 2012 precinct caucuses from the 1st Tuesday in February to the 1st Tuesday in March.