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Presidential sweepstakes arrives in Minnesota with early vote
Early voting began Friday for the state’s March 5 presidential preference primary election.
MINNEAPOLIS — Your chance to decide your party’s presidential nominee is now officially underway.
Early absentee voting began Friday in person and by mail for Minnesota’s 2024 Presidential Primary. Voters were already dropping into the Minneapolis Elections Center and other early voting centers across the state to get a head start on the March 5 election.
It’s only the second time in modern history Minnesota has had real presidential preference primary, as opposed to a straw poll of a much smaller set of party activists on precinct caucuses night. On Super Tuesday, the North Star State will join 13 other states in primaries that very likely will decide the major party nominees.
The elections are run by cities and counties, but done on behalf of the major parties. The results will determine how many delegates, if any, each candidate will have at the national conventions this summer.
Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann said GOP turnout was suppressed in 2020 because then-President Donald Trump was an incumbent running virtually unopposed. He predicts this time around will be a different story.
“We don’t have as many candidates on our ballot as the Democrats did in 2020, but we have a few and I think there’s high interest in it. So, we do think they’ll be significant turnout,” Hann told KARE.
“And we are working with our local party units and encouraging them to try to go out, talk to voters in their district, reach out and encourage people to participate.”
DFL Chair Ken Martin said even if the Democratic president race isn’t as competitive as last time he still expects his fellow Democrats to come out and be heard.
“The biggest piece of this we wanted to do is just to encourage people to vote, participate, regardless of your political party, your persuasion, your candidate of choice,” Martin told KARE.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to have your voice heard early in this process and to help shape the contours of this upcoming really critical presidential race.”
Unlike a regular election, you’ll have to choose one of the major party’s ballot — Republican, Democrat or Legal Marijuana Now. Your vote will remain anonymous, but your party of choice will shared with the leader of that party.
The reasoning is that this presidential primary replaced the straw polls conducted at precinct causes, where people had to sign in to participate. Those caucuses remain a major recruiting opportunity for the parties.
“The reason these lists are provided to each party is, one, to comply with our national party rules, and, two, to allow each party to take those names and then reach out to those folks who voted in the presidential primary and ask them to get involved and volunteer with their local party,” Martin explained.
Hann agreed that getting a list of voters who picked the Republican ballot is essential to the existence of the party.
“When we did straw balloting at caucuses in prior years that’s really what it was,” Hann explained. “The party got the information about who showed up and who voted, and we identified names and so forth. So, it’s consistent with that process and I think that’s how it should be.”
The parties will still hold precinct caucuses on Feb. 27. Those events are the first step for those who want to become delegates to the state and national conventions. Some of the delegates are awarded based on results within congressional districts, and some are based on the statewide total.
Some people may still be uncomfortable with that the parties knowing which ballot they selected in the primary. Minnesota is one of 18 states where voters don’t register by party.
“That’s just a cultural thing for us,” Secretary of State Steve Simon told reporters Thursday.
“Minnesotans are not used to signing government documents or disclosing to the government their political affiliation. Other states are. In 32 states they’re fine with that. But our political culture in Minnesota people are reticent about that.”
A lot can change between now and March 5. If you cast an early vote for a candidate who leaves the race before election day, you have an opportunity to retrieve your ballot and ask for a new one. For the March 5 presidential primary, you’ll have until Feb. 15 to “claw back” your first absentee ballot and vote for someone else.
“If they’ve changed their mind for any reason — one of the reasons is if their candidate drops out of the race, which is kind of hazard in a contest like this as opposed to a general election,” Simon remarked.
“It’s more likely in a general election to be a chance of heart not someone dropping out of the race.”
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
