As customers stop by your store today, the election is sure to be the topic of many conversations.  Here are a few results of the polls closing a short 13 hours ago across Minnesota.     

Governor

• DFL Governor Mark Dayton won reelection last night, garnering about 50 percent of the vote.

Minnesota House of Representatives

• Republicans won control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, picking up a likely 10 or 11 seats.
• Greater Minnesota played a pivotal role in the seat pickups.
• Republicans campaigned on a theme of bringing balance to Minnesota government.
• The DFL controls the Minnesota Senate and Governor's office.

Statewide Offices

• DFLers kept all their statewide office seats last night.
• DFL Representative Steve Simon won his bid for Secretary of State.

U.S. Senate

• U.S. Senator Al Franken retained his seat in his first reelection bid.
• Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate last night, winning more than six seats.

U.S. House of Representatives

• All of Minnesota's incumbent U.S. House of Representatives members won reelection, including the highly watched 8th Congressional District where Rick Nolan defeated Republican challenger Steward Mills.
• Republican Tom Emmer won his the race to succeed Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann in the 6th Congressional District.
• Republicans retained control of the U.S. House in elections last night.

Voter Turnout

• Voter turnout in Minnesota has been estimated to be lower than recent mid-term elections by around 200,000 voters.

Election day (Tuesday, November 4) is just over three weeks away.  Now is the time to remind employees of the importance of voting.  For younger employees and those working their first job, this may be their first opportunity to go to their polling place.  Support the retail vote and Minnesota's traditionally high voter turnout by encouraging your employees to vote.

The Minnesota Secretary of State hosts several resources to make it easy for first-time and long-time voters.  As a first step, consider reminding your employees of their opportunity to vote and encourage them to do so!

Provided below is a sample memo to employees:

"Election Day is approaching, and we encourage all eligible employees to participate in our democratic process and vote on Tuesday, November 4.

This is a significant election year: Minnesotans will elect a U.S. Senator, U.S. House Representatives, Minnesota House representatives, Governor and state officers, and many important county and local officers.

A source for your all voting needs is the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State's mnvotes.org - where you can register to vote, request an absentee ballot, view your sample ballot, find your polling place location, and more. Another resource to guide you through the voting process in Minnesota is this two minute video, Election Year in Minnesota,.

Employees have certain rights when it comes to voting and their schedule.  If needed, please discuss your work schedule with your supervisor. Most polling places are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You also may vote early with an absentee ballot and avoid the lines at your polling place on Election Day.

The voting pre-registration deadline is October 14 for the November 4 General Election. You can register or update your registration online at mnvotes.org. You may also register at your polling place on Election Day.

Thank you for keeping Minnesota number-one in the nation for voter turnout."

Governor Mark Dayton recognized Minnesota-based Best Buy Thursday for recycling 1 billion pounds of electronics waste and appliances at a celebration at the retailer's campus in Richfield.
 
The Governor thanked Best Buy e-waste recycling champions and CEO Hubert Joly, who likened 1 billion pounds of e-waste to 67,000 elephants, five Eiffel Towers, or 200 statues of Paul Bunyan.
 
"Best Buy is an industry leader in helping consumers to recycle their old electronics," said Governor Dayton. "Their efforts are good for Minnesota's environment and consumers. I thank Best Buy for their outstanding leadership and for their continuing commitment to responsible environmental stewardship."
 
"Best Buy's leadership in helping Minnesotans and consumers across the country recycle is a fantastic example of how retailers step up to solve problems. This voluntary effort and similar initiatives by retailers in many of our communities are making a difference," said Minnesota Retailers Association President Bruce Nustad following the event. "Today's achievement is a strong reminder that together retailers, consumers and communities do great things."
 
At Thursday's celebration, Best Buy announced its next goal in e-waste recycling: 2 billion pounds by 2020.