2018 was a big election, voter turnout was high everywhere, but nowhere saw a higher percentage of votes cast ballots than Minnesota. Not every state calculates turnout the same. Minnesota has same-day voter registration, so we tend to count our turnout based the eligible voters, based on those numbers 64% of eligible voters turned out. But if you calculate the numbers like some other states, based on registered voters, our turnout soars to 78%. In raw totals, it was the largest number of voters in state history.
More history was also made in the governor’s race. Democrat Tim Walz will succeed two-term Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton. This will be the first time a Democrat will serve a third four-year term. Almanac host and longtime political reporter Eric Eskola notes “Minnesotans loved divided government” and the state will have the only Legislature divided between two different parties. The Lt. Gov.-elect Peggy Flanagan also makes history becoming the highest-ranking Native woman elected in the United States.
