Tuesday is Election Day in Minnesota

[MineralMan]

It's election day in many places, and it's one of those elections that will doubtless disappoint me. What's on the ballot? Just two things: the city councilmember from my ward in Saint Paul, MN, and four school board seats. Two candidates for the city council and eight candidates for the four school board positions. Why will it be disappointing? Because if we get a 12% turnout, that will be about typical. Does the election matter? It does. The leader in the City Council race is a solid Democrat, and has the endorsement of the DFL party. The only opponent is a Green Party candidate, who will undoubtedly lose spectacularly. The School Board election is another thing altogether. There are several good candidates, and several really, really bad candidates. Right wingers who want to dismantle the Saint Paul school system are among the 8 candidates for the four seats.

So, who do you suppose is going to show up for this election? The normally good turnout in my ward won't be there. They know that the current city councilmember will win. The school board? Who cares? That's the attitude among many in my ward. What does it matter, really? So, who will turn out? The local evangelical churches are heavily engaged in turning out their members and supporters. There is a strong chance that the right-wing "Christian" candidates will win most of the four seats. They want the schools to fail. That is their goal. They may just win and get their wish.

There are far too many people who vote only when the most visible race has clear competitors. They'll show up to vote for the DFL-endorsed candidate for a race for the City Council, for example, but only if the race is contested. This year, it's not really in question, so a lot of people won't bother to show up at the polling place. A lot of other people will, though, and they may succeed in electing a slate of candidates whose goal it is to destroy the public schools in the city. Those schools are already struggling, largely due to the crappy economy and a state government run by Republicans that borrowed money from the schools to balance the state budget. It won't take much to tip them over the edge of the cliff.

Is there an election where you are? Will you show up to vote? Think about it. It may not seem to matter, but it probably does. It's worth finding out about those little races...the school board, and such things. Who's running? What do they want? Who should you support with your vote? Some will be elected, regardless of how many show up to vote. Will they be ones who support your goals? If you don't vote, you won't get to decide.

Please go vote in the little elections. They may be as important to you as the big ones. Don't let the right win them.

[geardaddy]

1. How does it look so far?

What number were you?