SAVE DEMOCRACY – EMPOWER YOUNG VOTERS!
By THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS MINNEAPOLIS
This is the fifth in a series of six articles about the 2023 Minneapolis City Election, brought to you by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis. All articles available at lwvmpls.org/for-voters
Young Americans have been gathering strength and exerting more influence in recent elections but need help realizing their full political force as voters. For the health of our democracy, we want them to do so. While historically underrepresented at the polls, more 18–29 year-olds voted in the 2020 presidential election nationally than in 2016- close to 50%. Even 2022 midterm turnout was better than expected, inching toward 30%. A positive trend but a far cry from the electoral clout the second-largest age demographic in the U.S. could have.
Generation Z (for Zoomer) are those born between 1997 and 2012, with Gen Z young adults expected to make up 17% of all eligible voters by 2024 and 35% by 2036. Combine Zoomers (sometimes called Plurals) with their older siblings and largest generation, Millennials, and the Brookings Institution expects them to account for a majority of all potential voters within this decade and 60% by 2036. It benefits us all that they are civically educated and engaged.… Read the rest “SAVE DEMOCRACY – EMPOWER YOUNG VOTERS!”
Peace House Community: September ’23
Every Little Bit Helps
By MARTI MALTEBY
After the doom and gloom of my last few columns, I wanted to write something a little more upbeat this month. Based on my current thoughts, I may not succeed, but by the end of this article I will try to have found a ray of hope.
At the end of July, I traveled to England with my family to visit my parents, brothers, and other relatives for two weeks. While connecting and relaxing were the trip’s main goals, I also wanted to learn about how England deals with homelessness. What I found out was depressing.
In London, I spoke with Maze, a homeless man who had fled his hometown when his life was threatened. He let me know that there was one drop in center in the city, but that it was only open for four hours a day. Other than that, he had to find libraries or museums to pass the hours. I was even more surprised when he said that there were no overnight shelters in London. I asked where he spent the nights, and he explained his methods for finding shelter from the weather in doorways or similar spots.… Read the rest “Peace House Community: September ’23”
From the Desk of State Representative Hodan Hassan: September ’23
Neighbors,
I hope you are enjoying these summer months in our beautiful city. I’ve been incredibly blessed to get to spend more time with my family during this interim while hitting the ground running to begin preparing for next year’s session.
On July 1st, many of the transformational laws we passed this legislative session took effect, including increases in funding for education, renewable energy, public safety, and elections. Included are free school breakfast and lunch for all K-12 students, protecting healthcare workers against violence, limits on no-knock warrants, free college tuition for income-eligible students, and more. On August 1st, more went into effect, including the legalization of cannabis and expungement for many affected by the prohibition.
Included in these new laws are a handful of items relevant to the upcoming start of the 2023-2024 school year. With back-to-school just around the corner, I want to take a moment to tell you about some of the changes you may notice this school year. I am incredibly excited to share for the first time in decades, we have fully funded our public schools. Previous years of gridlock have kept us from investing adequate resources to our state’s young learners, but under DFL leadership, things are going to be different moving forward.… Read the rest “From the Desk of State Representative Hodan Hassan: September ’23”