August 9th is the 2022 Primary Election

July 30, 2022 Justin Grays

2022 is a midterm year, and August is the Primary month for Minnesota. Plus, there is a special election for Congressional District after 1 U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn died on February 18, 2022.

I’m going to repeat what I said back in 2018:

In the past, I have told friends and acquaintances that I use cold, hard logic to make my decisions. Weigh what decisions mean. That I don’t let my emotions dictate who I am going to vote for, but rather work out who will do the most good. There is a reason for that: I have to live in reality. I realize that we’re stuck in a two-party system, and that one of those two parties (*cough* Republicans *cough*) are actively trying to dehumanize people just because they are BIPOC, just because they are LGBTQ+, just because they are immigrants, just because, just because.

[...]

And voting third party is saying that you’re okay with marginalized people having to worry about survival, that your wanting to “stick it to the government” (which you are not) or your wanting to “send the government a message” (which you are not) is more important than the lives of your fellow humans. And those of you who point out that about 100 million people didn’t vote in 2016 - that is true, factual, and evading the point.

So, get out there and vote. Be certain to vote down-ballot. Check both sides of the ballot. Research who is on the ballot before you go in. And make certain that you understand and ballot questions or referendums before you vote on them.

Depending on where you live in Minnesota, we will be voting for Federal, State, County, and Municipal Offices. This link will tell you where to go on Election Day and who is on your specific ballot - know where your polling place is! And know that you can vote early by going to your municipal offices (check first to make certain that you are going to the right one). As Election Day is not a federal holiday, it may be a good idea to vote early.

https://mnnicethevote.com/

Minnesota is one of the states that does same-day registration as well as early voting. Minnesota does not provide provisional ballots. If you arrive at your polling place and show up as not being registered to vote, you can have a registered voter at your polling place vouch for you, use your ID with your current name & address, or use a photo ID and a proof of your current address. And if you are living at a facility or a shelter, you can have an employee from there vouch for you, and if you are homeless or are transient, someone who is registered and can vouch for where you regularly sleep can vouch for you. So get out there. Provide rides if you can, as transportation is still a limiting factor for many. Remind people to vote. And vote.

And with all that, let’s take a look at some of the people who are running in Minnesota. Remember that on the partisan ballot you are permitted to vote for candidates of one political party only.

The political party abbreviations that will be used are the following:

Federal Offices

U.S. Representative - District 5

DFL
Don Samuels
Albert Ross
AJ Kern
Nate Schluter
Ilhan Omar (Incumbent)

GOP
Royce White
Cicely Davis
Guy T Gaskin

State Offices

County Offices

County Sheriff

Joseph Banks
Dawanna Witt
Jai Hanson

County Attorney

Paul Ostrow
Mary Moriarty
Saraswati Singh
Martha Holton Dimick
Jarvis Jones
Ryan Winkler
Tad Jude

Saint Louis Park Public School District

SCHOOL DISTRICT QUESTION 1 (ISD #283)

Approval of Capital Project Levy for Technology

The board of Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park Public Schools), Minnesota has proposed a capital project levy authorization for technology in the maximum amount of 4.287% times the net tax capacity of the school district. A portion of this new authorization, $3,063,578, would replace the school district's existing authorization which is scheduled to expire after taxes payable in 2023, would raise approximately $3,563,578 for taxes first levied in 2022, payable in 2023, and would be authorized for ten (10) years. The estimated total cost of the projects to be funded over that time period is approximately $35,635,780. The proposed authorization will provide funds for the acquisition, installation, support and maintenance of software, technology, technology systems and infrastructure, and to pay the costs of technology related personnel and training. Shall the capital project levy authorization to fund technology proposed by the board of Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park Public Schools), Minnesota be approved? BY VOTING "YES" ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

SCHOOL DISTRICT QUESTION 2 (ISD #283)

Approval of General Obligation School Building Bonds

Shall the board of Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park Public Schools), Minnesota be authorized to issue general obligation school building bonds in an aggregate amount not to exceed $136,000,000 for the acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities? BY VOTING "YES" ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

Who am I voting for?

For all the partisan races, the candidates will be from the DFL. Anybody from the Republican Party is instantly disqualified from my consideration on the basis of being members of the Republican Party, and any third-party candidates are disqualified from my consideration until we stop using the First Past The Post system (which we really need to abandon). I’ll consider third-party candidates at county and municipal levels, but not at state and federal levels.

U.S. Representative - District 5: Rep. Ilhan Omar
For US Representative, I am voting for Rep. Ilhan Omar. Aside from being the incumbent, she is the most aligned with my views. Don Samuels is a close second, as his policies are very close to those of Rep. Omar, but he also is against the ideals behind Defunding the Police, and he “was a leader in the effort to defeat Question 2, a proposed charter amendment that would have replaced the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety” (MinnPost). As I was for Question 2, I can’t get behind that.
AJ Kern is a christian conservative who has based her entire platform on how much she hates Rep. Omar (seriously, check out her website - her primary focus is Rep. Omar and whether or not she’s a US Citizen), and so she is disqualified from my considerations. Nate Schluter’s website is a mess and all I can find about him is that he likes football and the constitution, and so he’s disqualified for not even having a platform. Albert Ross has overcome some great adversities, but has little experience and supports Minneapolis Police Department “500%”; and while he has a platform, his platform is all one-liners with no detail.

Governor & Lt Governor: Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
For Governor and Lieutenant Governor, I’m voting for Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. I can barely find any information about either Ole Savior or Julia M Parker, Ole Savior’s website is a mess, and his single issue seems to be oil companies ripping off the public.
The Walz/Flanagan team is, in my opinion, the only option. They have the experience, they have a platform, and they have support. They’re not perfect - far from it - but they are the best people running for their positions.

Secretary of State: Secretary Steve Simon
For Secretary of State, I’m voting for Secretary Steve Simon. I read up on Steve Carlson’s website and the entry about him on Ballotpedia, and it is concerning - he’s biblical, a Trump supporter, believes in MAGA, has “questions” about vaccines, and questions the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Ever since the Independence Party lost its Minnesota Major Party status, Carlson has been running under the DFL ticket. Secretary Simon, in my opinion, is the only option - he’s been doing his job well, and I don’t see a reason to switch at this point.

Attorney General: The Honorable Keith Ellison
For Attorney General, I’m voting for the Honorable Keith Ellison. As the incumbent, he has been performing his job well. I can find very little about Bill Dahn, however - he ran for Minnesota House of Representatives District 53A as a Republican in the 2018 Primary, for Minnesota State Senate District 53 as a Republican in the 2016 Primary, and for Governor of Minnesota as a Democrat in the 2014 Primary.

County Sheriff: Major Dawanna Witt
For Hennepin County Sheriff, I’m voting for Major Dawanna Witt. Aside from an impressive set of endorsements, Maj. Witt “recently received the National Black History Month in Law Enforcement Award from the Police Studies Institute at St. Elizabeth University in New Jersey” (Minnesota Spokesman Recorder). She is experienced, she is already the commander of the detention and court services bureau for HCSO, and she grew up in Hennepin County. On top of that, her platform is to provide resources and support to those who could benefit from basic life skills needed to become productive members of society and provide substance abuse support, mental health support, and obtaining employment.
Joseph Banks, while having law enforcement experience, is the CEO/president of Banks Securities Inc., which assists in criminal expungement resources; he also co-hosts a podcast called “Let’s Talk About It,” works as a licensed bail bondsman, and “is co-founder of two nonprofits—Twin Cities Recovery Project Inc., designed to support pathways to recovery, and Black Butterfly, which aims to assist young women of color experiencing the criminal justice system to stabilize and reconnect them with the community and become productive members of society” (Minnesota Spokesman Recorder). However, his website only talks about his police experience and lists his platform in broad terms.
Officer Jai Hanson works for Bloomington Police Department and has a number of interesting ideas - his number one issue seems to be carjackings - and he really wants you to know that he is your INDEPENDENT candidate for Sheriff. The fact that he is independent gets brought up a lot. What doesn’t get brought up is that “he was disciplined in 2018 for mishandling a missing person report in which a group home resident was found dead of suicide” (Minnesota Reformer) or what he learned from the retraining he got after that event.
My vote is most certainly going for Major Witt.

County Attorney: Mary Moriarty
There are seven candidates running for Hennepin County Attorney, and five of them look good. Hometown Sources gives a rundown on each of them, but you really need to check out their websites and search a little bit deeper to get a feel for who each of them are and find out who endorses them. Ultimately, I decided that I am going to vote for Mary Moriarty. Her stances on voluntary restorative justice opportunities, immigration, a public health approach to substance abuse, and making improvements to the probation system (honestly, all of her platform stances) really spoke to me, she has experience and the credentials, and she has great endorsements. Saraswati Singh, Martha Holton Dimick, Jarvis Jones, and Ryan Winkler all seem like good candidates as well, but Mary Moriarty is taking my top spot.

SCHOOL DISTRICT QUESTION 1 (ISD #283): YES
SCHOOL DISTRICT QUESTION 2 (ISD #283): YES
Both of these questions are asking about a slight increase in taxes, yes, but it only affects owners of St. Louis Park homes valued at $331,800 (the median home value) or more. The first question is asking for better funding for student, staff, and district technology equipment, infrastructure, and personnel; while the second question is asking for school building improvements. It is Building for Sustainable Excellence, and I support this.

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