Primary Election Day

Today is primary election day in Minnesota, and on our way to her daycare, Emma and I stopped to vote. Well, I voted, she watched and helped to push the ballot into the machine. This was my first time voting in Minnesota. When I registered to vote a month ago, I was a bit confused since the voter registration form did not include a space to indicate party affiliation. I was wondering how this would work for the primary election as every other state in which I have lived asked for a party when registering. Well here everyone gets the same ballot. One side has the partisan elections in which the candidates are listed in three separate columns, one for each party - Independence (former governor Jesse Ventura's party), Republican, Democrat-Farmer-Labor. I could choose any one column in which to vote. Now it is less than two months until the general election. I wonder if the attack ads between Norm Coleman and Al Franken will heat up even more if Franken wins the DFL nomination. At least there are less than two months until the general election.