Hi, Mises Community:
I am a Minnesota resident and Ron Paul fan, and I cannot for the life of me figure out if I am eligible to vote in the MN GOP primary. I will be 18 and eligible to vote in the presidential election, but I will not be 18 by tomorrow, the date of the primary. Can anyone direct me to a source?
And there's an idea for a resolution: give a more detailed FAQ on the secretary of state's website. But what can you expect...
Otherwise, I'll be relegated to sit in with the democrats and pick a few arguments ;-)
Thanks for your help!
You have to be a member of the GOP to vote in the GOP primary.
NO you do not have to be registered Republican. Minnesota is an open caucus state.
To answer your question, I'm actually not sure. You have to be registered to vote, which means you have to confirm you'll be 18 by the time of the election, so I would think you're in the clear. However, I'm not really sure it matters...at least not as far as delegates are concerned. The vote in Minnesota is basically a straw poll (like in Iowa). Delegates are selected in the months afterward in a long caucus hierarchical process.
See here for details and bylaws.
(Neodoxy, I don't' know where you got that information, but please in the future provide a source)