‘Voting and Elections’ Archives
MY VOTE. WHAT DOES IT MATTER?
Article #6 in a series of articles about the 2022 midterm elections, brought to you by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis. MY VOTE. WHAT DOES IT MATTER? We’re often encouraged to vote. “It’s important. It’s our duty. It makes a difference.” But really what does it matter? How does my vote affect me? Actually, our one vote affects an outcome directly only when we’re voting on amendments, like the three on last year’s ballot. Instead, what our vote really does is elect a PERSON to represent us, a person whose vote in Congress or the Legislature reflects our wishes. That’s why we have to examine candidates thoroughly beforehand to see that their views correspond to what we need and want. For example, if we’re interested in public safety, we’ll want to know a congressional candidate’s attitude toward gun violence and qualified immunity. How they vote on our behalf may give us better (or sometimes worse) protection. How do prospective state legislators feel about training for police? Are they willing to help fund it adequately? Where do the sheriff and county attorney stand on law enforcement? Will strict enforcement -- or more lax enforcement -- make us feel safe? What is their attitude toward justice? Many people are similarly concerned about taxes. Will we benefit more if we pay less and have more money in our pockets? Or will we benefit more with better services – like safe roads or good schools? How will legislators use the money that the federal government has set aside for Minnesota? What about access to abortion services in Minnesota. Candidates for the legislature need to know our views and vote as we, their constituents, believe. Low-cost housing is another issue facing law makers. We may gain from knowing we won’t be evicted. We may benefit from government subsidies. We may rejoice at finding just the right home at an affordable price, thanks to government funding or policy – based again on our [...]
Who Votes, Who Doesn’t and Why?
ARTICLE #5 IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS MINNEAPOLIS. Recent Supreme Court rulings have exposed the reality that government representatives often don’t act in accordance with the will of the people. Polls indicate, for example, that Americans support access to abortion, yet the highest court in the land rescinded that right. So why the disconnect? It’s about voting – who votes, who doesn’t and why. Among the pool of all eligible voters in the U.S., approximately 1 out of 3 did NOT vote in the 2020 Presidential election. The top reasons that these 77 million Americans did not vote were 1) lack of interest in politics 2) they didn’t like the candidates and 3) they didn’t think their votes would matter. Those least likely to vote were under 34, Hispanic, less educated, unmarried and with lower incomes. Difficulty of voting was not identified as a major reason for not voting, but we know there are subgroups, such as those living with a disability or with logistical barriers (childcare, transportation) for whom voting can be challenging if not impossible. Then there are the disenfranchised. Minnesota is one of twenty states in which anyone convicted of a felony is prohibited from voting until they have been discharged from their entire sentence, including any term of probation or supervised release which may include monetary restitution. As a result, 57,000 individuals (1.5% of Minnesota’s voting population) are denied the right to vote. At the federal level, the most significant reason for the mismatch between Americans’ values and those of our elected officials is unequal representation in the Senate that gives smaller and less populous states more political clout. Because there are 2 senators elected per state, the 40 million people who live in the 22 smallest states get 44 senators to represent their interests, while the 40 million people in California get just two. [...]
Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 9!
Find out where you vote and what’s on your ballot by visiting mnvotes.org Remember, your polling place may have changed because of redistricting. About Primary Elections WHAT IS A PRIMARY ELECTION? A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election. For example, five candidates from one political party might run for governor. Only one candidate can be on the ballot in November. The winner of the August primary election will represent their party on the November election ballot. There may be two kinds of offices on your primary ballot: partisan offices and nonpartisan offices. PARTISAN OFFICES Partisan offices will list a political party next to a candidate’s name on the ballot. All state and federal offices—such as U.S. representatives or Minnesota senators—are partisan offices. Partisan candidates will be listed in four columns on the front side of the primary ballot. The columns list candidates from Minnesota’s major political parties: the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party, the Legal Marijuana Now party, and the Republican Party. You can only vote for candidates from one political party. If you vote for candidates from both political parties, your votes will not count. You decide which one of the two parties you will vote for— Minnesota does not have political party registration. NONPARTISAN OFFICES Nonpartisan offices will not list a political party next to a candidate’s name on the ballot. For example, county, city, township and school board offices are nonpartisan. Nonpartisan offices will be listed on the back side of the primary ballot. You can vote for any candidate. The candidates who get the most votes will be on the November general election ballot. TIME OFF WORK TO VOTE You have a right to time off work to vote, without losing your pay, personal leave, or vacation time.
WE’VE CAST OUR BALLOTS, THEN WHAT?
Article #4 in a series of articles about the 2022 Midterm Elections, brought to you by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis. We’ve thought hard about the candidates and slipped our ballots into the voting machine on election day. We’ve done our part. Now it’s up to others to make sure our votes are safe. The first persons we encounter at the polls are the election judges, there to help us through the voting process – from registering and verifying eligibility to actually depositing the ballots. They are usually citizens from the neighborhood, chosen based on their experience and sometimes language skills. Judges are affiliated with a variety of major parties, or they may be unaffiliated. Certain tasks at the polls need to be performed by two people of different parties. All judges receive specific training to do their jobs and are sworn in to be impartial. When voting at the polls ends at 8 pm on election night, the election judges at each of Minneapolis’ 137 precincts bring materials to the city clerk staff at two receiving sites. It’s a meticulous process, as election judges there check and re-check that the precinct judges have signed off on every item returned, such as envelopes containing election day registrations, number of spoiled ballots, and ballots themselves. Also included are tapes containing numerical results and a memory stick, a kind of thumb drive, which registers the number of votes in each category. Absentee ballots are entered into a high-speed tabulator starting seven days before election day. Memory sticks from all the machines are sent to Hennepin County where certified staff handle the ballot information on them and submit unofficial vote totals to the Secretary of State’s office. These unofficial results are posted on election night or shortly thereafter by the State and also on the Minneapolis elections website. Results are official only after they are approved by a canvassing board, officials who review [...]
Public Safety is On the Ballot Again This Year
Third article in a series on the 2022 Midterm Elections By the League of Women Voters Minneapolis In November, you won’t see an obvious question on the ballot like last year’s ballot Question 2. Nonetheless, almost every federal, state and local public office in the general election affects policing and public safety in Minneapolis. The mayor and police chief have direct authority over the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), but those powers are limited by state and federal policies. When you vote, think about how these elected offices impact your community’s safety. CONGRESS instituted “qualified immunity” that protects public employees from being sued for actions taken on the job. Congress has the authority to make changes at the federal level. Since 2009, more than half of the cases brought against police officers have been dismissed based on qualified immunity. The GOVERNOR, STATE SENATORS and STATE REPRESENTATIVES set the parameters for police union contracts and oversee both the state patrol — which has statewide law enforcement authority — and the P.O.S.T. Board, which sets standards of conduct and training for police officers. They can also pass state-level civil rights laws explicitly without qualified immunity. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS manage the social service agencies that provide mobile mental health crisis response and co-responders to accompany police emergencies. They also oversee the county corrections department, which runs county jails. The COUNTY ATTORNEY decides which crimes are prosecuted and is responsible for getting guns out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers. The SHERIFF serves warrants, subpoenas and orders of protection and has county-wide law enforcement authority, frequently providing back up for the MPD. The SCHOOL BOARD is responsible for overseeing the management of safety personnel and systems that keep children safe on school property. JUDGES oversee criminal and civil lawsuits, set [...]
When You Vote in the Primary on August 9, Stay in Your Lane!
ARTICLE #2 IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTER OF MINNEAPOLIS The Primary Election on August 9 will determine the candidates for the General Election. The top vote-getter in each Primary race will appear on the ballot in November. In Minnesota, any registered voter can participate in the Primary, but there’s a catch. You must stay in your lane. In some states, voters must “declare” their party affiliation in order to receive the corresponding Primary ballot. But, in Minnesota, voters are not required to declare their party. Instead, candidates for all major parties appear on every ballot. But note: If you cross political party lines by voting, for example, for a Democrat in one race and a Republican in another, your ballot is “spoiled” and will not be counted! Candidates in the same party will be listed in the same column, so stay in your lane as you vote down the ballot. You don’t have to vote in every race, but you may not cross columns on the ballot. Some candidates will be designated as “endorsed” by their party. Endorsement is a stamp of approval or sign of preference from the party’s delegates who were selected at precinct caucuses (back in February – remember those?) But, there’s more. Nonpartisan offices like School Board, County Attorney and Sheriff will be listed on the back of the ballot. In these races, the two top vote-getters move on to the General Election. Preregistration for the Primary ends JULY 19. However, you can also register at an early-voting site or on election day at your polling place. Early voting begins on JUNE 24 and continues through AUGUST 8. Or you can submit your ballot by mail. Your vote is powerful, especially in the Primary Election, because compared to the General Election, many fewer people turn out for the Primary. Be sure you’re someone who does. To request an absentee ballot, register to vote or for more [...]
