Turnout Light in Minnesota's Primary Election

Turnout has been reported light so far in Minnesota's primary election.

It's only the second time Minnesota has held its primary election in August, since moving it up from September to give military and overseas voters more time to vote in the general election.
   
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has predicted less than 15 percent of eligible voters will participate, with heightened interest in the northeastern 8th District and the southern 1st District.

He said everything was going smoothly a couple hours after polls opened, but he didn't expect to have a better handle on turnout until the end of the day.
   
"Everything seems to be in order and all systems are go," Ritchie said.
   
Ritchie said his office mainly heard Tuesday morning from people seeking help using the state's online polling place finder.

This year's redistricting sent many voters to new districts or changed polling places. Other people called to check whether their absentee ballots had arrived and were directed to an online absentee ballot tracking tool.

In southern Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, Republican voters are choosing a candidate to take on incumbent Democrat Tim Walz in a district that's usually considered competitive.  But that race might not translate into turnout.

In Blue Earth County, Elections Director Patty O'Connor says the highest turnout she had heard of by around 10 a.m. was a Mankato precinct where about 30 people out of 3,000 eligible voters had voted.

In Olmsted County, which includes Rochester, Elections Director Pam Fuller says it's been pretty slow there too.

In St. Louis County, where the 8th District Democratic primary has been hard fought, Elections Director Patricia Stolee says she hasn't heard of any problems but hasn't had any turnout reports either.

Click here to find your polling place.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 

Related Stories:

• Act 2 for Nolan, Quist is Triumphant
• Klobuchar, Bills Win Primaries; Minn. Turnout Lags
• Primary Sets Stage for Races for Minn. Legislature
• Quist Over Parry in Minnesota's 1st District
• Bachmann Dispatches GOP Primary Foes
• Minn.'s Ellison Wins Democratic Primary
• Ritchie: Minnesota Primary Going Smoothly
• Turnout Light in Minnesota's Primary Election
• Primary Voters Toss Out Longtime GOP Legislator
• Kline Advances in Bid for 6th Term