Kimberly's Blog Election Edition!
Because that sounds better than I forgot to do a blog at the beginning of September
Q: Kimberly, why don’t you have a calendar reminder set up so you get your blog out on time?
A: Well I do now. . .
So you may have heard there’s an election coming up in November and that there’s been an event or two on the national stage that may be of interest. So for this blog, as the title indicates, I’m going to focus mostly on the upcoming elections and give some recommendations on how you can get involved starting at the local level.
Before we dive in, can we take a moment to admire how much of a visionary I am with my “Turn out for what?!” entry in last month’s blog?
Let’s begin with local elections -
Minnetonka does odd year elections for local (city council, school board) officials so there are no local elections on the ballot. If you live outside of Minnetonka, check to see if there are any local elections happening this year. If you live in Minnesota you can go to the Secretary of State’s website to see what’s on your ballot.
The MAGA strategy of gaining control of school boards and city councils has not gone away so we need to pay attention to candidates at all levels. Since these are nonpartisan seats there is no party designation on the ballot for these candidates.
I recommend checking out this list of candidates supported by the School Board Integrity Project
I also recommend checking out any local League of Women Voter (LWV) candidate forums for information on candidates. The LWV is a nonpartisan organization that is respected for it’s impartial work around elections. Local chapters will often run candidate forums where they ask questions that have been submitted by local residents. These forums are recorded and made available online for viewing. You can find your local LWV here.
Finally, if you aren’t an Indivisible member, consider joining a local group. Groups operate independently so there’s no guarantee that they will weigh in on local elections but some such as (shameless plug) Indivisible West Metro do.
Finally, finally - consider a monetary contribution to help local candidates that you support
State Elections
Last time, I told you about some of the progressive groups that I work with and invited you to get involved. That invitation still stands but let me talk a bit about why we need to focus on state elections in Minnesota.
The 2023 legislative session saw the passing of transformational legislation which we are beginning to see implemented including but not limited to:
Paid Family & Medical Leave
Early Childhood Care & Education advances including an increase in Child Care Assistance Program reimbursement rates
Democracy for the People Act
Restore the Vote
100% Clean Energy
Transit & Transportation Funding
Healthcare gains including expansion of MinnesotaCare
Drivers Licenses for All
Free school meals for all MN public school attendees
Reproductive Freedom legislation
Trans protection laws
Go here to see a more comprehensive list of what ISAIAH (501 c3 sister organization to Faith in Minnesota (FIMN)) helped get passed, a fuller explanation of what was included in the legislation, and target implementation dates.
Following these successes, MAGA republicans are looking to win key seats in order to send the message that if you take bold progressive action that benefits your constituents, you will lose your seat and if possible to even reverse some of the gains.
We need to do everything we can to make sure seats are not lost to MAGA supporters.
Q: So, can’t I just contact my local party office or the candidates themselves and volunteer?
A: Yes, you absolutely can and if you have no interest in working with the groups I mentioned, I encourage you to do just that. However, there are advantages to working with FIMN (which BTW you do not have to be a person of faith to join) and Indivisible is strategy and power building. Briefly, these groups have identified areas which require more focus and which areas are concentrating efforts while simultaneously building people power which will aid in working with candidates once they are elected.
Q: Are FIMN and Indivisble the only game in town? Aren’t there other groups doing similar work.
A: There are, though I would argue FIMN is unique, but these are two with which I have direct experience and so am comfortable recommending.
Q: Ok, I’m sold! How do I join?
A: See below
INDIVISIBLE West Metro
We focus our efforts on SD45, SD42, and SD37 go to our website to join and sign up for our newsletter if you live in one of these districts. If you live elsewhere, you can go here to search for a group in your area or, if you’re in Minnesota, contact us through Facebook or email indivisiblewestmetro@gmail.com and we’ll try to direct you to the nearest active group.
Faith in Minnesota
From the Faith in Minnesota website - https://faithinmn.org/
Faith in Minnesota is a political home for people of faith who are acting boldly and prophetically to create a new, people-centered politics in our state — one rooted in abundance, where everyone is in and no one is out. Faith in Minnesota, the 501(c)4 arm of ISAIAH, gives us a new platform for living more fully into our moral citizenship by allowing us to organize and advocate directly in our state’s elections and political process. It is a vehicle for creating a Minnesota that is inclusive and just for every person.
If you’re interested in learning more about FIMN or working with us, email me and I can make that happen.
Oh, and before we move on to DC, there’s this":
National
We can’t do everything but everyone can do something!
There’s been a lot of info dumping so I’ll just remind you not to forget about the people running for the US house and Senate.
Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnd there’s also a presidential election happening in November and America’s Favorite Dad is a VP candidate:
Listen, you’ve already heard about why this election is so important so I’m not going to spend time trying to convince you. I will just go ahead and drop these links on Project 2025 - https://www.25and.me/?topics= and https://www.project2025index.com/
There are so many opportunities to door knock, phone bank, write post cards, get out the vote, I can’t possibly list them all. Indivisible or your local party office can help point you in the right direction. I will suggest going to the national Indivisible website to check out opportunities including the Neighbor2Neighbor program.
Happening in Minnetonka
Link to City of Minnetonka Calendar
Other Council related items of note:
The Minnetonka City Council will be discussing contractors/subcontractors wage theft and other illegal employment practices, and are there preventative steps that can be taken at a city level at our Oct. 16 study session. Please note that while these meeting are open to the public, no public comment is taken during study sessions. Audio recordings will be made available on the City website following the meeting.