Minnesota
With early voting in Minnesota to begin Friday, Sec. of State gives update
ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Starting Friday in Minnesota, you’ll be able to cast a ballot for the 2024 election. Early in-person voting is set to kick off statewide with 46 days left until Tuesday, November 5.
On Thursday, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon previewed the start of early voting as his office prepares to receive the very first votes of the election cycle this week.
“Between now and November 5, I want to see high turnout and low drama,” said Simon. “One essential component for both of those outcomes is to make sure that Minnesotans have the information they need about our elections.”
This general election cycle is the first for several new state laws. Since the last election cycle, the state has implemented things like automatic voter registration and reintroduced the right to vote for felons. According to Simon, those new laws ought to make an impact.
“55,000 people now, folks in Minnesota who have left prison behind, can vote again,” said Simon.
Ahead of the first ballots being cast, the Office of the Secretary of State also worked to quell any concerns about election integrity and security. He explained that the state makes sure the system is tamper-proof.
“We always use paper ballots. Just think about that. There’s been a lot of misinformation about election equipment and tabulators, but remember, the ultimate backup is paper,” he said.
Simon said that all state election machines are tested, and that the ballot machines are assessed after the election to make sure they match perfectly.
“All local election offices must, under state law, conduct what’s called public accuracy tests on their election equipment to seek to ensure that every item is working perfectly. Then on election night, every precinct must ensure that there are the same number of ballots cast as registered voters,” he said.
“Our election security navigator team partners closely with a wide range of state and federal agencies and local election offices across Minnesota to monitor physical and cyber threats to our elections,” said Bill Ekblad, Elections Security Navigator for the Secretary’s office.
Early voting can be done in person or by mail.
Simon warned that those voting by mail ought to do so as early as possible this year to avoid hiccups with the US Postal Service.
“We are seeing some delays nationally with the US Postal Service. It’s not everywhere, and Minnesota has fared better than many places across the country, but we just want to make sure that if you plan to vote by mail from home, you’re requesting your ballot and returning your ballot early,” he said.
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ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management and
Gov. Tim Walz
recently announced the signing of a cannabis cooperative agreement with
Red Lake Nation.
According to a release, the agreement outlines how the state of Minnesota and Red Lake Nation will protect the public health, safety and well-being of all Minnesotans regarding adult-use cannabis and supports Red Lake Nation’s tribal sovereignty, cultural identity and heritage.
“This partnership opens a new outlet for state-licensed cannabis businesses to access and sell legal cannabis and honors the independence of the members of the Red Lake Band,” OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said in the release. “We look forward to their cooperation in bringing more cannabis supply to the state and seeing their cannabis operations develop and thrive while respecting the Red Lake Band’s autonomy.”
In Minnesota’s cannabis law, the legislature directed Walz to negotiate intergovernmental agreements with tribal nations sharing territory with Minnesota to strengthen public health and safety, secure an equitable and well-regulated cannabis market, and provide financial benefits to both the state and tribal nations.
Red Lake’s NativeCare dispensary
was the first in the state to sell legal, adult-use cannabis after the law legalizing cannabis took effect in August 2023. With this agreement in place, Red Lake is able to collaborate with state-licensed cannabis businesses and create partnerships.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to produce the highest quality cannabis products that are free of all toxins and impurities. Consistent testing has verified that we have reached our goal,” Red Lake Nation Chair Darrell Seki Sr. said in the release. “Now that our cooperative agreement with the state has been finalized, we are looking forward to sharing our top-shelf products with the Minnesota market.”
Compact negotiations continue between the state and tribal nations sharing territory with the state of Minnesota. To date, the state has signed compacts with White Earth Nation, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Prairie Island Indian Community, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
The state expects to announce additional tribal-state cannabis agreements soon.
Copies of signed, executed tribal-state cannabis compacts and cooperative agreements can be found on
OCM’s website.
The former NFL sideline reporter has met with top Republican committees as she weighs a 2026 bid and a rare GOP pickup attempt in Minnesota.
Michele Tafoya, the former NFL sideline reporter turned political analyst, is considering a run for the United States Senate in her current home state of Minnesota, OutKick has learned. Sources familiar with the situation say she is expected to make a final decision in early 2026.
Tafoya met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Leadership Fund, and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C. last week. The NRSC has been recruiting her to run for the Senate race in Minnesota, where the Democratic primary has pitted progressive favorite Peggy Flanagan against Chuck Schumer-backed Angie Craig.
Tafoya gave up her NBC career so she could speak more openly about her conservative political beliefs. The breaking point for Tafoya at the media giant came in December 2021 when she appeared on “The View” and served as the conservative panelist. The rest of the cast on the show supported Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, and his assertion that the NFL resembled the slave trade, while Tafoya raised some important counterpoints.
“I’ve been covering the NFL for 25 years,” Tafoya said at the time. “Nobody forces these guys to play. I thought comparing it to the slave trade was a little rough. These guys enter willingly, they are the most well cared for people. Yes, they play a hard sport. And every one of them — black, white, Latino, whoever’s playing the sport — will tell you how much they love it, and they’re willing to do it, and they make a damn good living.”
Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya is weighing a Minnesota U.S. Senate bid after meetings with GOP groups, with a final decision expected early next year.
(Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images)
Tafoya nnounced in February 2022 that she wanted to pursue other career opportunities. Shortly after, she became the co-chair for Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls when he ran against Tim Walz in 2022.
Tafoya’s Rise in Minnesota Politics
Since then, Tafoya has become more active politically, particularly in Minnesota. Tafoya has taken Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar to task many times over their policies and rhetoric. Most recently, Tafoya has railed against a $1 billion fraud scheme in Minnesota that she linked to Walz and Omar.
Tafoya grew up in California and attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree and USC for her master’s degree. She moved to Minnesota after graduation to pursue a career in sports broadcasting and has lived in the state since.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Tafoya has been receiving calls from supporters in Minnesota encouraging her to run, and she’s had ongoing conversations with South Carolina Sen. and NRSC Chairman, Tim Scott.
Minnesota hasn’t had a Republican senator since Norm Coleman, who left office in January 2009. Should Tafoya choose to run, she’d look to reverse a trend that has continued for over 15 years.
After a frigid weekend, Monday will bring warmer temperatures across Minnesota.
In the Twin Cities, highs will climb into the mid-20s under brighter skies. Temperatures will continue rising on Tuesday, briefly reaching the upper 30s.
A weak system Tuesday night will cool things slightly, but conditions will stay quiet. Wednesday mostly stays mild, but a mix of rain and snow may develop late and continue into Thursday.
Cooler, more seasonable air returns heading into next weekend.
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