Coded by Alliance for a Better Minnesota Education Fund
Number of Minnesota seats on the ballot: 1
What they do:
A U.S. senator represents the entire state of Minnesota in the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.
They work on:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
Term: 6 years.
Why it matters: Senators have significant influence over federal laws and how federal money is distributed to Minnesota.
Number of Minnesota districts: 8
Minnesota is divided into 8 congressional districts, and each district elects one member of the U.S. House.
What they do:
A U.S. representative represents the people in their congressional district in Washington, D.C.
They work on:
Who votes: Only voters who live in that congressional district.
Term: 2 years.
Important distinction:
Your U.S. senator represents all of Minnesota. Your U.S. representative represents your congressional district.
Number of seats: 1
The governor is the chief executive of Minnesota's state government.
Think of the governor somewhat like the CEO of the state government.
The Governor:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
Term: 4 years.
The lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor.
They:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
These offices are especially important for civic engagement because every Minnesota voter gets to vote for them.
Number of seats: 1
The secretary of state is Minnesota's chief elections official.
They oversee things like:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
Why this race matters: This office plays a major role in how Minnesota's elections are administered.
Number of seats: 1
The attorney general is Minnesota's chief legal officer.
They:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
Number of seats: 1
The state auditor provides financial oversight of certain public entities and funds.
They can audit:
Who votes: Everyone in Minnesota.
The state auditor helps answer: "Is public money being handled properly?"
The legislature is where Minnesota's state laws and state budget are created.
Minnesota has two legislative chambers:
Number of districts: 67
Each Minnesota Senate district elects one senator.
State senators work on:
Who votes: Voters who live in that senate district.
Term: 4 years.
Why it matters: Your state senator helps decide how Minnesota spends state money and what Minnesota laws look like.
Number of districts: 134
Each senate district is divided into two house districts.
That means Minnesota has:
67 senate districts × 2 house districts = 134 house districts
State representatives work on the same broad areas as senators:
Who votes: Voters in that house district.
Term: 2 years.
Think of it this way:
Governor → executes laws
State Senate + State House → create laws and approve the budget
This is one of the areas that can be confusing because there are multiple levels of courts and many individual judicial seats.
Minnesota voters elect judges.
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the state's highest court.
It deals with:
There are 7 Supreme Court justices.
Who votes: Depending on the seat, voters statewide.
The Court of Appeals is Minnesota's intermediate appellate court.
It reviews decisions made by lower courts.
Instead of having a new trial, the court generally examines whether the lower court correctly applied the law.
There are 19 judges on the Court of Appeals.
Who votes: Judicial voters in the applicable area/seat.
This is where most people encounter the court system directly.
District courts handle things such as:
Minnesota has 10 judicial districts.
There are numerous individual district court seats.
Who votes: Voters in the geographic area covered by that judicial seat.
Judges make decisions that can directly affect people's...
This is where things start getting very dependent on where you live.
Every county can have a different set of races.
County commissioners are essentially the elected leadership of county government.
They make decisions about:
Who votes: People in the commissioner's district.
The sheriff is the elected head of the county sheriff's office.
Depending on the county, the sheriff's office may be responsible for:
Who votes: Voters in the county.
The county attorney is the county's chief prosecutor and legal advisor.
They can be responsible for:
Who votes: Voters in the county.
Depending on the county structure, these offices can include responsibilities related to:
Important: Not every county has exactly the same elected county offices.
If your city elects a mayor, the mayor is generally the city's chief elected executive.
Depending on the city's government structure, the mayor may:
Who votes: Residents of that city.
City council members make decisions about how the city operates.
They can vote on:
Who votes: Residents of the applicable ward/district or city, depending on the city's system.
City government can have a surprisingly direct impact on people's everyday lives.
A city council can influence: Housing, zoning, development, transportation, public safety, and local taxes.
School board members govern the local public school district.
They make decisions about:
Who votes: Residents of the school district.
School boards make decisions that directly affect students, families, teachers and communities.
Township supervisors govern township government.
They can oversee:
Some areas of Minnesota have townships, while others are primarily governed by cities.
The clerk handles administrative and recordkeeping responsibilities for the township.
The treasurer handles township financial responsibilities.
These can be local questions or statewide constutitonal amendments.
This is not technically an office, but it can also appear on someone's ballot.
These can include questions about:
And not everyone in Minnesota will see the same questions.