Precinct caucuses are the first step in the uniquely Minnesota approach that political parties use to choose candidates for November’s election.
Woodbury Republicans will meet at East Ridge High School, while Democrats come together at Woodbury High School. State law requires that the gatherings begin at 7 p.m., but it is suggested to arrive earlier.
Unlike other states, Minnesotans do not register by party affiliation. State law says you can only caucus with one party, and both Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) and Republicans invite those who support their party and will be 18 years old by the election to join in February’s meetings. Democrats allow anyone who is at least 16 years old to participate but not vote.
District 47 Republicans will meet and follow this agenda:
- Elect precinct positions
- Elect BPOU delegates and alternates for the Feb. 28 District Convention at Lake Middle School
- Submit resolutions to the MN GOP Party Platform
- Sign up as election judges and poll challengers
- Recruitment of party volunteers and collect donations
- 2026 gubernatorial candidate straw poll
- Meet candidates and elected officials
District 47 DFL party will meet and follow this plan:
- Introductions and greetings
- Read participant eligibility requirements, affirmative action, outreach and inclusion statement and platform statement
- Elect caucus chair and at least two tellers, and appoint caucus secretary
- Elect precinct chair and two vice chairs
- Delegate and alternate election for Feb. 28 convention at East Ridge
- Consider resolutions for inclusion in DFL platform
- Entertain visitor speeches
Caucus participation is generally low for midterm elections. About 2% of eligible voters attend and therefore have an outsized impact on party candidates and platforms. Some expect that polarization among the electorate this year and the response to federal actions, including the ICE surge, may increase participation.
In suburban areas like Woodbury, most people who want to be delegates to the organizing unit conventions are elected without opposition. In the urban areas, these can be contested issues with hot disputes and even police involvement.
In 2008, the DFL Party precinct caucuses experienced record turnouts across the state, characterized by intense voter interest driven by the tight presidential race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Woodbury voters experienced extreme frustration when an unexpectedly large number of participants joined in the process, and both parking spaces and ballots were in short supply.
Intense ideological divides among state Republicans have resulted in a number of controversies over caucus results. In 2022, the state party released attendance figures including 35,196 people, but they only tallied 17,801 votes in the usually popular straw poll in the governor’s race. The discrepancy led to public concerns about election integrity.
Since precinct caucuses are only the first step to setting the ballot for November’s elections, few results will be available beyond participant numbers, straw poll results among Republican candidates for governor, and the DFL gubernatorial preference poll.
