October 2022 Meeting - Turnout: Making Minnesota the State that Votes

At our October 2022 meeting we were joined by Lori Sturdevant to discuss the history that made Minnesota one of the leading states in voter turnout and participation. That history is detailed in a 2020 book coauthored by Sturdevant and Joan Anderson Growe titled Turnout: Making Minnesota the State That Votes.

Joan Anderson Growe served as Minnesota Secretary of State from 1975 to 1999. Known for her work to encourage voter participation, her tenure was one of the longest of any secretary of state in Minnesota's history. Before running for secretary of state, Growe was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974. As a state legislator, Growe supported the Minnesota same-day voter registration law (the first in the country) and later, as Secretary of State, she worked to implement it. Since then, Minnesota has consistently had the highest voter turnout in the United States. Fun fact: those iconic “I Voted” stickers were originally introduced in Minnesota in the early 1990’s by Growe in order to build excitement around voting and instill a sense of pride and community.

Lori Sturdevant is a journalist and author who retired in December 2018 after 43 years with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, writing on Minnesota government and politics. She is now an occasional contributor to the Star Tribune Opinion Exchange section. She is the author, co-author, or editor of a dozen books.

Unfortunately Joan Anderson Growe was unable to attend but we were delighted to have Lori Sturdevant join us for an engaging discussion!

SSD 6 (South St. Paul) School Board Candidate Forum

Video of our candidate forum for the SSD 6 (South St. Paul) School Board is now available. Due to the number of candidates the forum was held in three groups on September 29 and October 1. Each candidate was asked the same questions and allotted the same amount of time to respond. The candidates who participated are Bernie Beermann, Gage Kemp, Wendy Felton, Jean Lubke, Anne Claflin, Kim Humann, Nicole Scheiber, Ashley Wickenhauser-Greif, Brian Counihan, Fred Everson, Hugh Kenety, and Erica Petersen. Other candidates who will appear on the ballot include John Wilcox, Michael Mathews, Colinda Blackbird, Tim Felton, Deborah Franzen, Jeff McClellan, Ted Pieper, Thomas Rongitsch, Peter Skwira, and Bill Arend. The video includes automated closed captions. Four of the 22 candidates will be elected when the election concludes on November 8.

Voters may familiarize themselves with the candidates more by reading this webpage created by South St. Paul Public Schools. Each candidate was asked to answer a questionnaire describing their background and priorities. Information about how to vote is available on our Voter Resources page.

ISD 192 (Farmington Area) School Board Candidate Forum

Video of our candidate forum for the ISD 192 (Farmington Area) School Board, held September 28, is now available courtesy the Apple Valley, Farmington, Rosemount Cable Commission. The candidates who participated are David Barr, Becky DeWilde, Joe Fritz, Melissa Gorman, Kelsey Jezierski, Maggie Storlie, and Steven Tschetter. Sue Tullar is also on the ballot. Three of the eight candidates will be elected to the school board. Information about how to vote is available on our Voter Resources page.