Saint Louis Park

Election Day is November 8th, 2022

I hope you all voted by August 9th for the Primaries; now it is time for the General Election! Do you know what is on your ballot? Do you know how to find out? Did you even remember that there is an election coming up?

Well, there are a lot of elections coming up! Pulling straight from Wikipedia: “During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Thirty-nine state and territorial gubernatorial and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested. This will be the first election affected by the redistricting that will follow the 2020 census” (2022 United States elections).

August 9th is the 2022 Primary Election

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. 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.

2020 General Election - Race for Congress (State - Minnesota)

This year is an election year for the Minnesota State Legislature. With the spectacle and glamour of the federal government, people tend to forget that the state governments have a lot of power - state legislatures hold the keys to the civil rights of America’s citizens. The United States Congress isn’t taking major action on guns, on abortion, or on minimum wage - all of that is being taken on by state legislatures. Also, in many states, state legislatures draw new US congressional maps every 10 years after the Census.

But a number of these races are left uncontested, which is unfortunate as laws are passed more frequently at the state and local levels than they are at the federal level. That means state legislatures do a huge amount of work while no one is looking, and they don’t have anybody to challenge them to make certain that they keep in touch with their constituents. If you want action on laws in regards to abortion, marijuana, public safety, or anything else, then you need to pay attention to your state legislatures. Remember that one vote can swing an election - don’t leave us in the fuck barrel.

Minnesota 2020 Primary - US House, 5th MN District

Now that I have made my decision about who will get my vote for the Senate in the Primary, let’s take a look at the US House of Representatives. I live in the Minnesota 5th Congressional District, which has 9 people running across 3 parties. Like for senator, only one person can get my vote, so I will have to narrow it down.

Minnesota 2020 Primary - US Senate

Tuesday, August 12th, will be Minnesota’s Primary Election Day. A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election [8], the winner representing their political party. There are 12 candidates across five parties running this year - Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) [Note 1], Republican, Legal Marijuana Now, and Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis. I haven’t yet decided for whom I am going to vote, and so I will share my decision with you as I finish making it.

Registration is open for the Saint Louis Park Citizen's Academy autumn classes!

Registration is open for the Saint Louis Park Citizen's Academy autumn classes!

Saint Louis Park residents and community members: the Saint Louis Park Police Department is offering the Citizen's Academy once again, on Thursdays September 12th - November 15th 2018 from 6-9pm. Interested participants who are adults 18 and over and live or work in St. Louis Park should complete the registration form at www.stlouispark.org/police-academy by 4:30 p.m. on August 30th. The deadline is coming up fast!

For a republic to continue having a healthy democracy, RCV is a must.

Here in the United States, we live in a two-party system - a system that discourages alternative views, is non-competitive, and encourages voter apathy. To help encourage participation in the democratic process, moving away from First Past The Post and replacing it with Ranked Choice Voting is essential. Without it, we will continue to encourage living in a two-party system and minority rule.

2017 Elections Are Even Closer!

2017 Elections Are Even Closer!

As you may have read on a previous blog post (or have seen signs around your neighborhood), it is election time once again. Tuesday, November 7th is the day for elections in the State of Minnesota - not every state has elections this year, let alone every municipality in Minnesota, so please make certain to check out your local Secretary of State (or local equivalent) websites. Minnesotans, for more precise information (including where to vote), please go to our Secretary of State's ballot finder. What I am posting here is very general information, and there will be exceptions. For example, some Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth, and Saint Louis Park residents, as well as about half of Golden Valley residents and most of Minnetonka residents will be voting for the Hopkins School Board. At the same time, Minnetonka Schools serves Minnetonka, Chanhassen, Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood, Tonka Bay, Victoria, and Woodland, whereas the Saint Louis Park School District is entirely within the city of Saint Louis Park. So always check the ballot finder first!

2017 Elections Are Upon Us!

2017 Elections Are Upon Us!

If you are a Minnesota resident, it is election time once again - Tuesday, November 7th. Minnesota is one of those states that has an election every year, and it is important to vote in those elections. And as John Oliver reported, local governments get more done than the federal government - unfortunately, people tend to not focus as much on what is happening locally. So I am here to help you find out what is on the local elections. For more precise information, make certain to go to the State Secretary of State's website to look at a sample ballot. If you know your address, this will give you all of the information on the ballot itself, including a PDF to download to bring with you.

To Survive, Persons of Color are Taught Differently.

Back on 10March2017, I was pulled over by the Saint Louis Park Police Department. The light over the rear license plate was burnt out - the person whom I had borrowed the vehicle from knew that the light was burnt out and told me that she was going to replace it. I was under the understanding that she was going to replace it before I borrowed the vehicle, but she did not get around to it. She's a white ruralite who does not understand the importance of having every part of a vehicle being up to specs at all times. Fortunately, I only received a verbal warning.