St. Louis County Voters Need to Know About Feb. 3 Precinct Caucuses

Precinct caucuses across Minnesota are the opening act in the party endorsement process that will shape local and statewide tickets, and St. Louis County voters should know how to participate and where to turn with questions. The statewide precinct caucuses are scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with meetings typically beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Caucuses are run by political parties, not by county or state election officials. “Precinct caucuses are meetings run by Minnesota’s political parties and mark the first step in the endorsement process that leads to party conventions at the district, regional and state levels.” Because parties set meeting locations and procedures, they also share those locations with the Secretary of State. Voters can “Find precinct caucus locations with the Caucus Finder.” If you are unsure how a party organizes its caucus or where your precinct meets, contact the party hosting your precinct.

At a caucus, neighbors meet to select volunteers who will organize local party work, discuss and vote on policy resolutions, and choose delegates who will represent the precinct at subsequent conventions. Delegates selected at precinct caucuses later attend conventions where parties may endorse candidates for local, state and federal offices, including governor. The Secretary of State encourages participation: “Never been to a caucus? Not sure how it works? Learn more about the process below!” and notes that attending a caucus is a way to “show support for a candidate, raise an issue that’s important to you, influence who the party will endorse for many offices, and meet people in your community.”

Legal and practical details matter. The City of Anoka page cites M.S. 202A.14 to note that parties set locations; the Secretary of State references M.S. 202A.19 for further details. State law also protects workers who want to attend a caucus: “State law allows voters to take time off work to attend a precinct caucus or party convention, provided they give their employer at least 10 days’ written notice.” Major political parties are required to make reasonable accessibility accommodations, including interpreters upon request and advance access to written materials for voters with visual impairments.

Municipal calendars demonstrate how party submissions look in practice. Some party listings are explicit about registration times and sites; for example, one DFL submission shows registration at 5:30 p.m. with caucuses convening at 7 p.m., while Republican submissions list specific meeting sites and addresses for precincts. Minnesota AFL-CIO materials frame caucuses as “a form of direct democracy” and urge union members to attend, provide a packet of pro-labor sample resolutions, and note that “Non-attendee forms are available below so anyone who cannot attend or doesn't feel safe attending can still participate.”

For St. Louis County voters, the immediate steps are simple: use the Secretary of State’s Caucus Finder to confirm your precinct’s party-run location, contact the party for any registration or accessibility questions, and, if needed, give your employer at least 10 days’ written notice to attend. What happens at these neighborhood meetings can ripple up to party endorsements and the choices voters see on ballots in the months ahead.