Minneapolis midterm election study guide

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Tomorrow is Election Day — have you done your homework?Midterm elections are never as popular as presidential elections, but that doesn’t make them any less important. We want to make your decision process as easy as possible, so we’ve lined up every election this midterm year that will affect Minneapolis residents.Following are candidates for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Minnesota State Representative, Minneapolis School Board, and Minnesota 4th Judicial District (which essentially covers Hennepin County) candidates, as they will appear on Minneapolis ballots for the Nov. 4 General Election.Also on the ballot will appear two measures for voters to consider for inclusion in the Minneapolis City Charter. The first question pertains to increasing the filing fees candidates pay to run for city offices — mayor, city council, and other city of Minneapolis offices. The current $20 fee was set in 1967 and has remained unchanged. Continue Reading

VIDEO: “Immigration reform, there’s lots of people who are hurting.”

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Many nonprofits participated in Get out the Vote this year, and they’re sharing why voting is important to them on video.Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) launched their very first civic engagement program, adding voter education to their long list of community services. The program, which started earlier this year, provides educational outreach services to Minneapolis residents who may not know about the voting process, or why it’s important.“I think as CLUES, it’s our responsibility and it’s our obligation to advocate for our community members,” said Joel Martinez, who runs the new program. “Not just in direct services … but also equip leadership within our community members.”Recently, the program took to the streets around Franklin and Chicago, Martinez said, teaching community members how to vote, and even how they can get involved if they can’t vote yet. Even if some community members can’t vote for legal reasons, he said, they can still get involved and make a difference in their community.Trinidad Uribe, Jr. with CLUES is a Vietnam War veteran and wants to see meaningful immigration reform. Check out his video and see what voting means to him below.Coverage of the 2014 elections is funded in part by a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation. Continue Reading

Are Minneapolis’ school board seats being bought?

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Will a seat, or two, on the Minneapolis school board be sold to the highest bidder?The amount of money flowing into the 2014 Minneapolis school board race is enormous, according to the campaign finance reports that were submitted by candidates and various advocacy groups.Of the four at-large candidates running for the two open citywide seats on the school board, Don Samuels has raised the most money, with a total of $65, 103. Next up is Iris Altamirano, who shares the DFL endorsement with incumbent Rebecca Gagnon. Altamirano’s report shows that she has raised over $41,000, which is more than twice as much as Gagnon’s totals. Candidate Ira Jourdain has raised just over $3,000.What may be more interesting is the amount of money from outside of Minnesota that is flowing into the race, through groups such as the 50CAN Action Fund, the Students for Education Reform Action Fund, and a group calling itself the Minneapolis Progressive Education Fund (MPEF).While the most recent totals for both the 50CAN Action Fund, which is the advocacy arm of the education reform group MinnCAN, and the Students for Education Reform Action Fund are under $40,000, the MPEF has amassed a huge war chest, to the tune of more than $200,000, according to a campaign finance report filed on Oct. 28.Looking at the reports, the money MPEF has raised is mostly coming from a handful of billionaires and millionaires from outside of Minnesota. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, for example, gave the MPEF $100,000, while California billionaire Arthur Rock gave $90,000.Daniel Sellers, who is the director of MinnCAN and its 501c4 advocacy group, the 50CAN Action Fund, is also the chair of the MPEF. Continue Reading

VIDEO: “I would like more of the Latino community to vote”

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Many nonprofits participated in Get out the Vote this year, and they’re sharing why voting is important to them on video.Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) launched their very first civic engagement program, adding voter education to their long list of community services. The program, which started earlier this year, provides educational outreach services to Minneapolis residents who may not know about the voting process, or why it’s important.“I think as CLUES, it’s our responsibility and it’s our obligation to advocate for our community members,” said Joel Martinez, who runs the new program. “Not just in direct services … but also equip leadership within our community members.”Recently, the program took to the streets around Franklin and Chicago, Martinez said, teaching community members how to vote, and even how they can get involved if they can’t vote yet. Even if some community members can’t vote for legal reasons, he said, they can still get involved and make a difference in their community.Mercedes Moreno with CLUES hopes to see the Latino community get more involved in politics. Check out her video and see what voting means to her below. In EnglishEn Español Coverage of the 2014 elections is funded in part by a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation. Continue Reading

This week’s news you can use: Election helpers, fall street sweeps & more!

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This week’s News You Can Use roundup covers everything from online election resources and fall street sweeping info, to health care and heating tips! Read on for details.This Week’s News You Can Use is a one-stop hub of articles and tips from News You Can Use — a section designated for helpful, everyday information –that you may have missed during the week. If you have a News You Can Use tip, please email editor@tcdailyplanet.net to help spread the word!  Election 2014: Voting Resources:Election time is here and there are new online developments to assist in the voting process.Barb Kucera reports on MNVotes, a new website launched by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, where Minnesota voters can register online, request absentee ballots, find polling places, track absentee voting status and more.  Mary Treacy highlights two websites: MyBallot and State Smart. My Ballot is sponsored by e-democracy.org, and provides voters with a sample ballot and links to other resources. Continue Reading