Minnesota

Election Day is November 8th, 2022

I hope you all voted by August 9th for the Primaries; now it is time for the General Election! Do you know what is on your ballot? Do you know how to find out? Did you even remember that there is an election coming up?

Well, there are a lot of elections coming up! Pulling straight from Wikipedia: “During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. Thirty-nine state and territorial gubernatorial and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested. This will be the first election affected by the redistricting that will follow the 2020 census” (2022 United States elections).

August 9th is the 2022 Primary Election

2022 is a midterm year, and August is the Primary month for Minnesota. Plus, there is a special election for Congressional District after 1 U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn died on February 18, 2022. So, get out there and vote. Be certain to vote down-ballot. Check both sides of the ballot. Research who is on the ballot before you go in. And make certain that you understand and ballot questions or referendums before you vote on them.

GraysMatter Podcast - Season 1, Episode 15

GraysMatter Podcast - Season 1, Episode 15

As longtime listeners may be aware, the usual format of this podcast is for me and two or three of my co-hosts to talk about society and current events from a perspective other than your stereotypical podcaster - that is, not from a cishet white male. But another thing that I’ve been meaning to do is to sit down and talk to fellow POC folx in the geek community about our experiences.

Our special guest this week is local geek Kareem Abdelrahman.

GraysMatter Podcast - Season 1, Episode 07

GraysMatter Podcast - Season 1, Episode 07

In this episode, we discuss topics ranging from White Liberalism and Oregon to The Simpsons and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

This episode is not sponsored.

Hosted By:

Justin (xe/xem) - https://www.justingrays.org/
Nat MN (they/them)
Sarah (she/her)

Content Warning - Mentions of:

  • Animal Injuries

  • Blood

  • Collapsed Lung

  • Medical Neglect

  • Medical Racism

  • Medical Sexism

  • Nazis/NeoNazis

  • Racism/Racial Slurs

2020 Downballot Races (Minnesota)

When you vote, do you remember to check the back of your ballot to make certain that you voted for everything that’s happening? Sure, you know about the President, Congress, and State Offices. But what about your local courts, mayors and city council members, and park commissioners? Each of them play a vital role in how your city, county, and state works. Statewide and local elections can determine our rights.

2020 General Election - Race for Congress (State - Minnesota)

This year is an election year for the Minnesota State Legislature. With the spectacle and glamour of the federal government, people tend to forget that the state governments have a lot of power - state legislatures hold the keys to the civil rights of America’s citizens. The United States Congress isn’t taking major action on guns, on abortion, or on minimum wage - all of that is being taken on by state legislatures. Also, in many states, state legislatures draw new US congressional maps every 10 years after the Census.

But a number of these races are left uncontested, which is unfortunate as laws are passed more frequently at the state and local levels than they are at the federal level. That means state legislatures do a huge amount of work while no one is looking, and they don’t have anybody to challenge them to make certain that they keep in touch with their constituents. If you want action on laws in regards to abortion, marijuana, public safety, or anything else, then you need to pay attention to your state legislatures. Remember that one vote can swing an election - don’t leave us in the fuck barrel.

2020 General Election - Race for Congress (Federal)

The 2020 General Election is drawing ever closer. Are you registered? Minnesotans can register here. Early no-excuse voting has already started, and you can still request your ballot by mail. It is not too late! If you do request your ballot by mail, you can mail it back or deliver it yourself; if you decide to not request a ballot by mail, you can still vote early in person - or even on election day itself, if you have to! MPR News had Secretary of State Steve Simon answer questions about early voting - I suggest that everyone give it a listen. Now, research your candidates and get out there! Get voting!

2020 General Election - Race for President and Vice President

Here we are, folks. The 2020 General Election is on November 3rd. In Minnesota, early no-excuse voting started on September 18th, 46 days before Election Day. You can request your ballot by mail and mail it back or deliver it yourself, or you can vote early in person. MPR News had Secretary of State Steve Simon answer questions about early voting - it’s an excellent listen, and I suggest all Minnesota voters listen to it. Voters in other states, I strongly suggest that you check in with your Secretaries of State and see if you can vote early.

Minnesota 2020 Primary - US House, 5th MN District

Now that I have made my decision about who will get my vote for the Senate in the Primary, let’s take a look at the US House of Representatives. I live in the Minnesota 5th Congressional District, which has 9 people running across 3 parties. Like for senator, only one person can get my vote, so I will have to narrow it down.

Minnesota 2020 Primary - US Senate

Tuesday, August 12th, will be Minnesota’s Primary Election Day. A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election [8], the winner representing their political party. There are 12 candidates across five parties running this year - Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) [Note 1], Republican, Legal Marijuana Now, and Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis. I haven’t yet decided for whom I am going to vote, and so I will share my decision with you as I finish making it.

It's Time for the Minnesota 2020 Primary Elections (Federal Edition)!

It's Time for the Minnesota 2020 Primary Elections (Federal Edition)!

With all that is going on in the world, it is sometimes easy to forget important things. One thing that many people seem to have forgotten is that there is a primary election in Minnesota on August 11th. That makes sense, as we already had our presidential primary on March 3rd, and then many townships had elections on March 10th. But yes, we have another primary - it’s not over yet!

We Must Defund and Dismantle the Police

We have been seeing gestures from political entities, ranging from Black Lives Matter murals painted on streets and streets renamed to Black Live Matter, to congresspeople wearing Kente Cloth, to cops kneeling in supposed solidarity before resuming their beatings of protesters. But gestures are not enough - action is needed. What we need are the defunding and dismantling of police, as well as investment in communities.

State of Minnesota Emergency Executive Order 20-20 - Part 2

Before I read to you, a disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and none of this is legal advice. I am merely reading a publicly accessible document published by the State of Minnesota. The document can be accessed here: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/archive/execorders/20-20.pdf

This order is 22 pages long, and so I will be cutting it up into several parts.

State of Minnesota Emergency Executive Order 20-20 - Part 1

Before I read to you, a disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and none of this is legal advice. I am merely reading a publicly accessible document published by the State of Minnesota. The document can be accessed here: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/archive/execorders/20-20.pdf

This order is 22 pages long, and so I will be cutting it up into several parts.

More races in the Twin Cities Metro Area!

More races in the Twin Cities Metro Area!

2018 Elections Are Upon Us!

That’s right, everybody - it’s election time again. On Tuesday, November 6th, 36/50 governors, 87/99 state legislators, 35/100 senators, and all 435 congresspeople will be on electoral ballots. There are various ways to see who is running in your area, mainly by checking your State’s Secretary of State’s website. Also, many states have been purging voter rolls and/or enacting voter suppression laws, so be ready.