State voters chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent DFL President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.

Minnesota backed Obama for re-election, giving him 52.65% of the vote, while Republican challenger Mitt Romney took 44.96%, a victory margin of 7.69%.

Obama thus became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Big Stone County since Grover Cleveland in 1892.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time the Democratic candidate won the following counties: Beltrami, Chippewa, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Mahnomen, Mower, Norman, Rice, Swift, and Traverse.

There is no formal system of allocating delegates to candidates in any step of the election process.