Election Night: Polls close in a deeply split Minnesota

Minnesotans headed to the polls on a chilly Election Day to decide local, state and federal races, marking the end of a divisive midterm season.

At polling places, voters said issues including education, inflation, crime, abortion, voting rights and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic were key to their decisions.

"It's a very important election," said Minneapolis resident Milton Thomas, who voted first thing Tuesday after calling everyone he knew and urging them to do the same. "My sister called me, said, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'Girl, what do you mean what am I doing? I'm going to vote.'"

Chisago County officials brought in a second voting machine at a Chisago City polling place with lines stretching for more than an hour wait, Secretary of State spokeswoman Cassondra Knudson said. The situation was "quite a bit better" around 6:45 p.m., she added.

The line was the result of a few factors, including high voter turnout and a complicated two-page ballot that includes local referendums, she said.

Shelley Anderson, of Chisago City waited more than an hour Tuesday night. She may have been more comfortable than others in the wet weather because she "went home and added my rain suit, hat and umbrella." One election judge said the line got as long as 2.5 hours before the additional machine was brought in.

Across the state — from voters who never miss an election to those who've shown up a handful of times; from party loyalists to those who split their ballot — there was a sense of gravity.

"I think it's just kind of a scary time right now," said Minneapolis resident Nora Kotvis, 34, who cited abortion access as a key issue. "The world is turning into something I didn't ever think it would."

At Oak Hills Elementary in Lakeville, Sue Gentz, 60, expressed her own anxieties: border security and inflation.

"Instead of buying Cheerios, I'm buying the off-brand Cheerios, because the price is so ridiculous," she said. "And also, I'm seeing it in my retirement, our 401(k)s, and what we've got to live on now — it's a lot less."

At St. Joseph of the Lakes in Lino Lakes, a steady stream of voters had little desire to share how they voted. Alicia Theisen gave a hint: "I was really excited about voting for a new governor," she said.

Theisen didn't mind sharing the issues that informed her vote: "I'm really into medical freedom," she said.

"It's really important to me that people can make their own decisions," Theisen said. As a small business owner, "having been shut down during COVID and not wanting that was also very disappointing."

The governor's race was also a priority for Deb Griffiths, who voted at Lino Lakes City Hall. Asked who she voted for, she answered: Gov. Tim Walz.

But asked for a results prediction, she laughed.

"I have no idea," Griffiths said. "I'm hoping for the best."

Staff writers Zoë Jackson, John Reinan, James Walsh and Katelyn Vue contributed to this report.