Secretary of State Steve Simon convened the State Canvassing Board on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to review the canvass report for the 2018 General Election and certify the results. In addition to judicial and state legislative offices, the board certified the election results of Minnesota’s constitutional officers and election results for two U.S. Senate races and eight U.S. House of Representatives contests.
“The State Canvassing Board has today certified Minnesota’s 2018 General Election results,” said Simon. “It’s now official: For the second election in a row, Minnesota’s voter participation was the best in America. The total number of voters was 2,611,365. That means 64.25 percent of eligible Minnesotans participated in the 2018 General Election, surpassing the next closest state, Colorado, by more than a full percentage point.”
That is the highest percentage turnout in a non-presidential election in Minnesota since 2002, and the highest total number of midterm voters ever. And in Cook County, the voter turnout was even higher, with 83.18 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots.
“Though we continue to lead the nation in participation, there is still much more we need to do to make democracy meaningful and accessible for everyone,” said Simon. “We can and will do more to encourage participation by young people, communities of color, new Americans, rural communities, military service members, voters with disabilities, and citizens of all kinds who are disillusioned or disgusted with politics. Our freedom depends on it.
“The American experiment in democracy has never been easy and is today undergoing severe stresses. But our democracy is still the greatest form of government the world has ever known. Today marks 101 weeks – 707 days – until the next statewide General Election. Between now and then, I ask every Minnesotan to find their own reason to be a voter. The stakes are high. I look forward to continuing to make voting easy as possible for all Minnesotans.”
The State Canvassing Board is called pursuant to Article VII, Section 8, of the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, which states: “The returns of every election for officeholders elected statewide shall be made to the secretary of state who shall call to his assistance two or more of the judges of the Supreme Court and two disinterested judges of the district courts. They shall constitute a board of canvassers to canvass the returns and declare the result within three days after the canvass.”
Secretary of State Simon extended his thanks to the justices and judges who agreed to serve on this canvassing board to certify the election results, including Associate Justice Natalie E. Hudson, Minnesota Supreme Court; Associate Justice Paul C. Thissen, Minnesota Supreme Court; Fourth Judicial District Chief Judge Ivy S. Bernhardson; and Fourth Judicial District Judge Paul R. Scoggin.
In addition to certifying the election results, the board also approved a contingency plan for a publicly funded recount, if requested, in State House District 5A.
State Canvassing Board
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