The Smart Politics Minnesota Historical Election Data Archive

The Minnesota Historical Election Archive was made public on June 30, 2020. While work was completed on June 1, 2020, it was decided that the launch should be delayed until later in the month due to the prominent news coverage of civil protests and COVID-19.

The first press release announcing the launch of the Archive will be issued after the Independence Day holiday weekend on July 6, 2020.

The Archive is published by the University of Minnesota Libraries at the following URL:

https://mn.electionarchives.lib.umn.edu

In the coming weeks, months, and years the P.I. will be able to track the various short-, medium, and long-term measurable outcomes as detailed below. The depth and breadth of the data collected, the unique features of the database, and the user-friendly responsiveness of the Archive website ensures this project is well-situated to realize these outcomes.

The launch of the Archive is expected to generate an increased public and journalistic interest in and knowledge of Minnesota?s political history and elections.

The number of visitors to and searches conducted via the website will be tracked daily using web analytics software.

Media coverage of the launch will also be tracked by Archive director and P.I. Dr. Eric Ostermeier.

It is expected that Minnesota journalists, as well as national journalists covering high profile Gopher State electoral races, will make extensive use of the comprehensive, user-friendly Archive to incorporate historical information and data into their reports on present-day campaigns and elections as well as for stand-alone pieces about Minnesota?s political history.

In addition to continued use of web analytics, intermediate-term metrics documenting use of the Archive will include tracking media coverage of the Archive and journalistic use of its information and data using a combination of Google Alerts and various search engines. Dr. Ostermeier will also track interviews and historical information requests he receives from journalists as well as data requests from academics to assist with their scholarly work.

Looking to the long-term, it is expected the Archive will not only sustain interest in Minnesota?s political history in future election cycles as a trusted, comprehensive resource users return to visit, but perhaps also a pilot program that will generate interest in the creation of similar Archives in other states.

In addition to continued, long-term media and public use of the Archive, it is also projected that academics will utilize the Archive as a source for journal articles and books on Minnesota political history.

Finally, it is expected that Minnesota students will gain a greater knowledge of Minnesota political history as educational institutions incorporate the Archive, and the associated writings produced at Smart Politics, into their curriculum in courses on politics, civics, and Gopher State history.

The creation of comprehensive, user-friendly historical election archives for other states, whether built through the Smart Politics platform at the University of Minnesota Libraries, state governments, or other data curators, is another indicator to track this project?s long-term influence in shaping public education on state political history.

The impact within educational institutions will be measured by tracking on-line syllabi and coursework that links to the Archive. Academic use of the data will also be determined through tracking citations in journals and books.