Candidates for the United States Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and others are elected by the voters in the entire state. In contrast, candidates for the United States House of Representatives, the state Senate and the state House of Representatives are elected by the voters in a specific district. Each district is made up of smaller geographical units which divide cities, towns and counties into manageable units for the purpose of organizing and administering elections.

Generally speaking, those smaller units are called precincts, although in rural areas with a small population, the city or township may be small enough that it need not be divided. Some jurisdictions in Minnesota opt to vote by mail instead of at polling places, but those votes are still counted and reported separately. At the conclusion of each election, the secretary of state posts election results by each individual precinct or other jurisdiction.

The state’s congressional districts as well as its state districts are formed by grouping together and forming a boundary around these precincts. It is generally understood that a district should be compact, contiguous (each precinct borders at least one other precinct in that same district) and contain rather than divide communities of interest. In addition, each district should contain, more or less, the same number of people. In order to remain constitutional under both Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution and the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment, district boundaries must be changed when populations shift and that process is called redistricting.

“Empowering Voters” is a program of the League of Women Voters – New Ulm, a trusted source of nonpartisan voter information, serving New Ulm and the Brown County area to ensure free, fair and safe elections. To learn more, visit newulm.lwv.org or follow our Facebook page.