Election Guide 2016

ELECTION GUIDE 2016

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Where to go on election day E HENNEPIN AVE.

WARD 1- PRECINCT 7 Van Cleave Park 901 15th Ave. SE

WARD 3- PRECINCT 2 Lutheran University Church of Hope 601 13th Ave. SE

BY BRIAN EDWARDS bedwards@mndaily.com

WARD 3- PRECINCT 1 Lutheran University Church of Hope 601 13th Ave. SE UN

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WARD 2- PRECINCT 4 Weisman Art Museum 333 River Parkway E

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WARD 2- PRECINCT 5 Pratt Community School 66 Malcolm Ave. SE WARD 2- PRECINCT 10 Grace University Lutheran Church 333 River Parkway E

WARD 2- PRECINCT 9 Augsburg College Oren Gateway Building 610 22nd Ave. S

WARD 2- PRECINCT 7 Augsburg College Christensen Center 720 22nd Ave. S

How to vote: A guide for election day

COMO AVE. SE

WARD 2- PRECINCT 3 Van Cleave Park 901 15th Ave. SE

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Monday, October 31, 2016

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WARD 2- PRECINCT 6 St. Frances Cabrini Church 66 Malcolm Ave. SE

PRECINCTS POLLING PLACES

SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

Thinking of heading to the ballot box on Nov. 8?

Check out the Minnesota Daily’s guide for your go-to information on where and how to vote.

Let’s start with the basics: You have to be 18 years-old by Election Day to vote and a resident for 20 days.

Pre-registration ended Oct. 18, but don’t fret — Minnesota allows voters to register at their voting location.

If you already registered, you can look on the Minnesota Secretary of the State’s website to confirm.

Even unregistered voters should head to the website as well to find your voting location and its hours.

Unregistered voters will need to bring proof of their name and address, which can be done in a variety of ways.

A valid ID from any state will work. Student ID will suffice as well.

Those bringing an ID without a current address should bring a bill, lease, University of Minnesota fee statement or a school housing roster with your address on it.

Even those without ID can vote as long as they bring along somebody who will vouch for their identity and address.

Out-of-state students can still vote in the election, but if they consider a different state to be home, they should vote by absentee ballot.

Those with a felony can vote if they have finished all parts of their sentence, including probation and parole.

Any lingering questions?

Head over to the SOS’s website. It’ll answer any other concerns.

Monday, October 31, 2016

BY RAJU CHADUVULA rchaduvula@mndaily.com

For the first time since 1972, Minnesota District 60B — which includes the University of Minnesota East and West Bank campuses and surrounding neighborhoods — will have a new representative.

Ilhan Omar defeated longtime Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, who held

Ilhan Omar DFL

ILHAN OMAR

How have your experiences motivated you go into politics?

My experience as a refugee immigrant [influenced me]. I remember talking to my father and grandfather about going

the seat since 1972, in the Democratic primary election.

Omar’s opponent, Republican candidate Abdimalik Askar, suspended his campaign in late August.

If elected, Omar would become the first Somali-American state lawmaker in the nation.

Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.

to the land of liber ty and justice … and arriving here.

My experiences here made me think that equality and justice wasn’t ver y available … My grandfather told me democracies are imper fect, but at least in the U.S., democracy goes through progress.

So you have to make the democracy work with you.

This idea of being optimistic and using democracy for positive change got instilled in me.

How do you plan on working with higher education on a policy level once elected?

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MN House of Representatives District 60B I’m interested in joining the higher education committee at the capitol.

I see both students and administrators in higher ed … as people to work with in finding common solutions that work for all us … holding each other accountable and pushing for ways to making higher education more accessible and af fordable.

I have a daughter who will be going to college in four years. And in the current structure, it’s really daunting for me to think about how we are going to pay for it. So I’m interested in approaching this as an urgent issue.

What are your thoughts on raising the minimum wage? What can be done to improve the economic wellbeing of those in poverty?

I have been early supporter of $15. We have a society that currently has members that are working a full time job who are not able to pay for their groceries. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage … and have tangible steps to close equity gap.

Police br utality is a national and state concern, and it af fects people of u See 60B Page 4

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Monday, October 31, 2016

60B u from Page 3

color disproportionately. What steps do you think should be taken on this issue?

Police br utality has always existed, with many members of my community experiencing it. There needs to be a conversation to see what it means to have a truly unjust system. To see how our politicians and how we are all being submissive to this abuse. I think we need to abolish [the] grand jur y system and make it mandator y for police to go through escalation practices.

We need to retrain people to understand that when you are police of ficers you are paid to protect and ser ve. Your first instinct should not be to shoot.

What kind of policy areas will you be focusing on once elected?

I think all of the policies I will push for are under the umbrella of inequality and making college accessible and cheap.

Economic issues as well, like [the] income gap in our district and state.

Criminal justice reform was an important thing that made me run for office.

[Additionally], reforms need to happen in making elections more accessible.

Things like automatic voter registration when people get [their] license.

Can you speak to the significance of your role as the first female Somali representative?

I think the first role and biggest role is the advocacy par t. My being ‌ a Muslim, black women is a great par t on advocacy.

Second, is my role in making sure that the policies that are being created ‌ are being done through a lens of racial equity, that we are taking in the intended impact for the minority groups that I represent.

Monday, October 31, 2016

BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com

Incumbent Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-Falcon Heights, who was first elected to serve House District 66A, grew up in a farming family in Kansas.

District 66A includes the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus.

She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Concordia University and was an elementary school

Alice Hausman DFL

How have your recent and lifelong experiences shaped your politics?

I don’t know if it’s the experiences as much as education. When you come to understand ALICE HAUSMAN the world, when you come to understand our state and nation, and you come to understand the challenges in people’s lives … So it’s what you learn through reading and education, and then applying your own kind of … common sense to it.

If you had to parse it down, what do you think separates your ideology from Jon Heyer’s? Why are you a better candidate for District 66A? I’m a fan of the Icelandic women’s party.

The Icelandic women’s party has the basis that you never define your opponent, you let your opponent define [themselves].

What are the biggest issues facing your district?

I think everyone understands education is at the top. Everyone wants good education for their kids … and since the [St. Paul] campus is in the middle of my district, I obviously represent a lot of faculty and students, so higher education is a focus as well. We’re starting to realize how important early education is.

What are some policy areas you’d like to focus on if reelected?

I would continue to focus on infrastructure … and … we have just simply got to do something about our health care system. We have turned all the money and power over to insurance companies in our model, and that’s not working ... I would favor universal health care.

teacher for many years. Hausman is running for her 15th term in 66A. Her opponent, Jon Heyer, grew up near the University of Minnesota. Heyer graduated from the University with a degree in psychology in 1986, before receiving a M.A. in Theology from the St. Catherine University.

Heyer also serves on the St. Paul District 10 Council board.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

And then related: [There’s] a desperate need for reform in our mental health system.

Years ago, decades ago, our country made a decision to open the institutions … but we never really replaced it with a comprehensive system.

Police brutality is a concern nationally and in our state every year, and affects people of color disproportionately.

What role would you advocate for the legislature to have in addressing this issue?

It’s a little complicated because it has to begin at the local level, so much of this is determined by the cities not the state ... so I think the voice that Sen. [John] Marty, [DFLFalcon Heights] and I played in the Falcon Heights situation was calling attention … I think being part of the community conversation is an important thing for me in my district.

What policies will you advocate for to address climate change, if any, if elected for another term?

That is, of course, a major issue, and we’ve been involved at the Legislature for some time already … way back in my early, earliest years, in 1994, was when we began to encourage the move away from fossil fuels to clean energy … I think here you just listen to the scientists and know that you have to act with more urgency. In the last two years, because it’s partisan, there have been moves to reverse some of the progress we’ve made…

How do you plan to interact with higher education on a policy level if reelected?

My work on the campuses has been primarily the buildings … for the academic programming. So for example, we toured a greenhouse on the St. Paul campus, and then discovered the incredible research that’s going on there. I take responsibility for the building which allows the excellent research to take place.

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MN House of Representatives District 66A Jon Heyer GOP

How have your recent and lifelong experiences shaped your politics?

Some of the people that I went to high school with went to Vietnam. I believe that war is JON HEYER not the best answer to settle things, so that shaped a little bit of that I believe. We have too many laws and regulations in our society, especially in small [business].

If you had to parse it down, what do you think separates your ideology from Alice Hausman’s? Why are you a better choice for District 66A? She wants to spend money. If you read into bonding bills, you’ll find out that they refer to them as job creation bills and the jobs they’re creating are construction jobs … and those are going to be there anyway. We need to have permanent jobs for people, so that when they graduate from trade schools or college, there’s a job there for them. That’s the way you can pay for a college education, is to actually have a job when you get out, not paving a road or something … Alice likes to throw money at stuff, like the building projects, and … we’ve got to back off on that and throw money at incentives for people to create companies that hire people full time permanently.

What are the biggest issues facing your district?

Our district has a broad section of people, but it tends to have a lot of senior citizens, and they’re just getting crushed with health care costs. MNsure, even the governor said it’s not affordable and we have to fix that. … and the other thing everybody agrees on is we

have to start funding our roads and bridges in the state instead of dumping all of our transportation money into mass transit.

What are some policy areas you’d like to focus on if elected?

There’s a few that are important to me personally, and then some that are societally important …. I’m concerned about … the way our Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota is managed.

Police brutality is a concern nationally and in our state every year, and affects people of color disproportionately. What role would you advocate for the legislature to have in addressing this issue?

I think we need to mandate better training for police officers. I know that the officer in question in the Philando Castile case had gone to a training seminar that a number of Minnesota officers had gone to that basically says if you’re concerned, shoot first, and I don’t think we want people doing that. The other issue is … the St. Anthony … Police Department is probably one of the most aggressive traffic enforcement departments … in the entire metro … the tactics they use are absolutely ridiculous …

What policies will you advocate for to address climate change, if any, if elected?

I believe in trying to transition toward clean energy … we need to get people that have at least a vision for where that’s going in the future.

How do you plan to interact with higher education on a policy level if elected?

I would like to see higher educational institutions be more accountable to what they spend money on. I went to the University, and the buildings were useful but not that fancy, and there’s the push to spend a lot of money making a campus look just beautiful and have great amenities because everybody else does … Do they really need to be that way? …

That cost is being passed down to students … School has gotten so darn expensive. I feel bad for kids.

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Monday, October 31, 2016

MN Senate District 60 Kari Dziedzic DFL

Are there any policies you would propose or suppor t that impact college students?

Yeah, tons … I have said before that my concer n KARI DZIEDZIC is the student loan… I think we have the fifth highest average in the countr y in graduating students graduating with debt and my concern is that that’s the next kind of housing bubble… I know people who – they’ve living with their parents because their student loan debt is like $1,200 a month…

We kind of have a shor tage of af fordable housing and then the next level of housing, so you have people who are in low-income housing and then af fordable housing and … then you have a backlog … so how do we just get more affordable housing and housing options for ever ybody including people living and going to college.

What is the most impor tant issue to your district and how would you address it?

It’s a ver y eclectic district — there are a lot of students and college students so I do hear from them… There are a lot of environmentalists in the district and so environment [and] climate change is real and how do we address that is another issue. There’s criminal justice reform, [which] is a big issue right now... And then the district includes Cedar-Riverside which has a large East African population and they have 63 percent pover ty… so I’ve spent the last four years and will continue to work on how to address the issues in that community …

Why are you the best candidate?

I think I have both the experience and the background … we are dealing with … so many dif ferent things from education to criminal justice to tax policy to health issues and it’s just a broad range and … my experience in both the public and the private sector have given me the ability to … kind of reach out and make connections to actually get the job done.

Are there any higher education policies that you would pursue in office?

So some of the stuf f that I’ve done in the past was … the immunity bill …

I have the af firmative consent bill and I know that the [University] adopted …

There continue to be sexual assaults on campus and so how do we reduce that and is that more education and more broad-based education and is the af firmative consent doing what we want it to do? … Transpor tation also impacts students. I support — and have always supported — the comprehensive sustainable transpor tation package that the senate passed.

Vo t e r t u r n o u t a m o n g y o u n g adults is historically low. Why is it impor tant for college-age voters to vote? And have you done anything to gar ner the vote of younger adults?

Oh, but your [Minnesota Student Association] … did a great job I think getting an additional 8,000 people – I think they were one of the top of the Big 10 at getting people registered to vote, which I think is fabulous. I think it is impor tant for them to vote from the perspective as the legislator representing the Minneapolis campus of the University…

Also … [it] helps then give them the power to also say … ‘college tuition is a big deal for us, this is a major issue for us, this is impacting our lives going forward …’

BY JACOB STEINBERG jsteinberg@mndaily.com

In this year’s District 60 Minnesota Senate race, Democratic Incumbent Kari Dziedzic will face Marty Super of the Legal Marijuana Now Party.

Dziedzic has held the District 60 seat since 2012. She has authored 57 bills that

Marty Super

Legal Marijuana Now Are there any policies you would propose or suppor t that impact college students?

One thing I would propose is $15 minimum MARTY SUPER wage, there are some students … working their way through [college]. I’m going for — I would really hope to see John Mar ty’s single-payer healthcare ... Ending the drug war, I suppose there are some students that are caught up in legal problems. I would like to make college paid for like Bernie Sanders proposed — it’s kind of pie-in-the-sky thing, I think we might get two years of junior college, or community college, but I don’t know about, like at the U. But I would like to see it free, it should be free …

What is the most impor tant issue to your district and how would you address it?

I think this district is doing pretty well actually but cer tainly ending the dr ug war and stopping the policing — you

became law.

Super, meanwhile, is a retired industrial maintenance worker from Minneapolis who models much of his platform from that of Vermont Senator Ber nie Sanders.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

know, broken-windows policing. We have get people to star t respecting the police again and that will only come when the police start respecting the people.

Why are you the best candidate?

Well, because I’m a third-par ty candidate. I’m not being controlled by the major par ty. You know, I’ve really seen that cause problems. Anyone who wants to champion something that’s not real popular with the heads of the party they get shut down by the party. I’m not beholden to anyone. I’ve got a total of $120 in campaign contributions.

Are there any higher education policies that you would pursue in office?

Outside of making it more affordable, I do think that a lot of our education could be handled by technology now. People should be able to attend the University without having to go to campus.

Voter turnout among young adults is historically low. Why is it important for college-age voters to vote?

And have you done anything to garner the vote of younger adults?

Yeah we did a lot of our campaigning in Dinkytown and in that area. They’re the ones that are going to have to live in this world, I’m 66 years-old so it’s not as impor tant for me but it’s going to be their world — they should be the ones to shape it.

Monday, October 31, 2016

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Betty McCollum vies for ninth term in US House McCollum is challenged by St. Paul businessman and Republican Greg Ryan.

BY KEVIN BECKMAN kbeckman@mndaily.com

U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota, will vie for a 9th term this election against Republican businessman Greg Ryan.

Ryan will have to compete in a district that has voted for McCollum since 2000.

McCollum has, in fact, received more than 57 percent of votes since 2002.

The 4th district includes the eastern part of the Twin Cities metro area, all of Ramsey County and most of Washington County, spanning from the Mississippi River to the St. Croix River.

McCollum has campaigned to keep higher education affordable and accessible.

She has advocated for the improvement and expansion of the Affordable Care Act and has supported workers’ rights, tribal sovereignty for Native Americans, and has encouraged the advancement of LGBT rights throughout the state.

Ryan, who has championed his familyowned plumbing business since 1984, is running on a platform that supports 2nd Amendment rights, protects religious liberty and diminishes the power of the Federal Government. He said he wants to protect religious liberty, return power to the states and reform the U.S.’s tax code.

University of Minnesota Political Science professor Larry Jacobs said the most important factor in the 4th district race will most likely be decided on political affiliation, rather than issue-oriented matters.

“You’re dealing with one of the most solidly democratic districts in the country,” Jacobs said. “While you would hope that issues would resonate and be the driver

of voter decisions, I think the main driver here is Betty McCollum’s party identification.”

Jacobs said the candidates’ success depends largely on their ability to relate to the mostly left-leaning district.

He said McCollum’s stances on Donald Trump, Planned Parenthood, the Affordable Care Act and support of Hillary Clinton will be the most important factors in the election.

“I don’t think this is kind of one of those issue drive campaigns where there’s a burning issue,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s almost the political equivalent of a lay-down hand.”

Jacobs said that in order to have a chance in the race, Ryan will have to present himself as a moderate Republican — something Jacobs said he hasn’t done well.

“He’s got to find a way in which he can present himself as an unusual Republican: one who’s not going to rock the boat in

terms of challenging the Republican Party,” he said. “[Ryan] hasn’t run that kind of campaign. He’s channeling the Republican Party and a lot of its positions and it’s the wrong district [to do that].”

Jacobs said McCollum is someone who has seniority in the House of Representatives.

“She’ll be one of the most prominent national Democrats for Minnesota in congress,” Jacobs said. “She’s put in the time and she’s put in the work and she’s ver y high standing among the Democratic Party.”

But Ryan is hoping to challenge McCollum’s tenure and bring small businesses and states’ rights back into the national spotlight.

“Too many Minnesotans are struggling in their jobs and their careers,” Ryan said in a statement. “The politicians … have forgotten their pledge and their duty to the community.”

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Monday, October 31, 2016

5th Congressional District US House of Representatives Keith Ellison DFL

How have your recent and lifelong experiences shaped your politics?

My lifelong experiences have shaped my politics in a way to make me believe that politics is about helpKIETH ELLISON ing people, politics is about solving problems, politics is about giving the public ... a chance to shape the society that they want to live in … I think that in a democracy it’s the average American, the majority, who really get a chance to shape this society…

What are some policy areas you’d like to focus on if elected for another term?

Increasing the minimum wage, more support for affordable housing, consumer protection … criminal justice reform … reduce the mass incarceration that we’ve seen as the result of the war on drugs. And I think we need to take serious action on climate. That means reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, from how we produce food … to how we produce energy.

What is your take on the state of current presidential race?

I think that it’s a very important debate the nation is having. Are we going to embrace each other and make an opportunity for everybody to participate, or are we going to divide each other and build walls to keep people out, ban other people based on their religion? Basically it’s ‘are we going to turn to each other or are we going to turn on each other?’

Police brutality is a concern nationally and in our state every year, and affects people of color disproportionately.

What role would you advocate for Congress to have in addressing this issue?

I think that it is important that ... law enforcement officers are held accountable

when they exceed their authority. I also think it’s important to get body cams, to make sure we know what’s happening and we can have a record of how law enforcement engages community… We need to have more training on implicit bias… and being a situational force..

Recent years have seen a swell in debate over free speech, especially on college campuses. What do you think should be the role of speech on campuses and in the U.S. more generally?

In the United States, free speech has been a tremendous benefit to the growth of our society, and we need to all recognize that speech that we like does not need protection … The speech that we have to actually protect is the speech we don’t like … Now, the speech that I think should be restricted … is speech that has an immediate incitement of violence …

How do you plan to interact with higher education on a policy level if elected to another term?

I’m going to be the one pushing for legislation to reduce ... the cost of college … I’m outraged and appalled at the massive debt most students have to carry, I think it’s wrong, I think it’s hurting society, I think it’s going to weaken consumer demand in years to come … I support [Presidential Candidate] Clinton’s debt-free college idea …

Should the federal minimum wage be raised?

Yes, absolutely.

What should be done to help the economic wellbeing of those in poverty?

If you raise the minimum wage it will help the whole economy… This idea that raising the minimum wage hurts business ignores the fact that business relies on customers to spend money with them. And … we spend money anyway, don’t we? We got people who will work … who are eligible for food stamps, housing subsidy, medical subsidy. So what we really end up doing is helping out big businesses who don’t want to pay their workers adequately by making up the difference with the public subsidy.

BY NICK WICKER nwicker1@mndaily.com

The race for Minnesota’s 5th U.S. Congressional District is between long-time incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison and Republican endorsed Frank Drake.

Ellison has worked as Congressman for the 5th district since taking of fice in Januar y 2007 and ser ves on

Frank Drake GOP

How have your recent and lifelong experiences shaped your politics?

I’m 57 years old, I’ve been married for 30 years.

I have two adult children, Ben, 27, FRANK DRAKE Rachel, 23, both of whom have gone through college, and I’ve worked for the same company for 32 years, so I’m very focused on things progressing in a business-like way both in my life and in my business.

What are some policy areas you’d like to focus on if elected?

Less than half of our kids are graduating from high school. We have to figure out a way for kids who aren’t going to graduate to get vocational training so they can get many times the minimum wage …

And then, healthcare: Keith gave us the Affordable Care Act, which has doubled and tripled the cost over three years ... If you thought a student loan was a bummer, this healthcare is something that’s about to hit the college graduates in a big way.

What is your take on the state of current presidential race?

I’m running for congress. I have no stake in the presidential race. I was for [Sen. Marco] Rubio. I will support our candidate because he’s at the top of the ticket, but that was not my first choice.

Police brutality is a concern nationally and in our state every year, and affects people of color disproportionately.

What role would you advocate for Congress to have in addressing this issue?

I believe we need to maintain a civilian police force … We need to have more people of color in our police force and on the

the House Committee on Financial Ser vices.

Drake, meanwhile, is a T win Cities-based realtor who hopes his platform of individual rights and education reform will unseat his incumbent opposition.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

North side. For most people on the North side and across the entire 5th [Congressional District], most people want to know that they’re safe ….

Recent years have seen a swell in debate over free speech, especially on college campuses. What do you think should be the role of speech on campuses and in the U.S. more generally?

Either you have free speech or you don’t have free speech ... there’s no real middle ground ... It’s just like violence, you can’t control violence, you have to either put an end to violence or there is violence … I know on the college level, certain speakers have been banned from college campuses … that was never the case 20 years ago.

How do you plan to interact with higher education on a policy level if elected?

The reason why student loans are at 8 and a half percent is because Keith Ellison was involved in federalizing student loans in 2009 and 2010. Student loans should be the equivalent of a mortgage rate ...

But I also believe that when ... a student goes to school, they accept, they understand that either their parents or they are going to have an obligation.

Should the federal minimum wage be raised? What should be done to help the economic wellbeing of those in poverty?

The minimum wage is not a federal issue, it’s a local issue. A higher minimum wage in … Uptown is probably proper, but it’s not proper in North Minneapolis … Also, the more trained you are as an individual … you’re going to be paid more because you’re more valuable.

As for how [to] deal with poverty, we are overtaxed. My position is I would have 15 percent flat tax across the board … And on the corporate level, it would be 10 percent … once we do that America will be far more competitive than almost all the other countries in the world.