One of the easiest ways to become an informed voter is to go to the Secretary of State's website (https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot) to see who will be on your ballot. (While you are there, you can also register to vote and find out the many ways Minnesota provides access to voting.) Many of the names of candidates will be highlighted and take you to the candidates' websites where you can see what issues are important to them.
The deluge of TV and radio advertisements that we are beginning to see are not the best sources to find out information about candidates. Some ads are done by Political Action Committees (PACs) who may have unstated interests. Many ads may have an element of truth but it may be distorted. For example, many ads refer to yes or no votes that incumbent candidates have made on issues. These yes or no votes may refer to the name of a bill but do not give you the reasons a candidate voted or did not vote on an issue.The bill may not do what it says, or may have provisions in it that a candidate opposes.
An even better way to get information is to attend candidate forums or debates that are being put on by many different groups. Rural residents are often at a disadvantage in having access to many of these debates. Watch candidate's websites or Facebook pages for information when they might be in your area. Then often you have a chance to ask your own questions, too.
For local candidates, the Park Rapids League of Women Voters (PRLWV) hosts candidate forums for contested local elections as well as for MN State House and Senate. These forums will be held in September through October. You can find notices for them in the Park Rapids Enterprise, The Chamber calendar, Volunteer Park Rapids Area Calendar and the PRLWV website. You are encouraged to submit questions. Questions are sorted by PRLWV members for relevance to the position, politeness, addressed to all candidates and then selected according to interest expressed by the most people. Some questions that are on similar topics are combined. It is rare that there is enough time for all questions. If your question isn't answered, stay afterwards to ask your question. Most candidates remain to talk to potential constituents.
Four forums have already been confirmed. The forum for State House Districts 2A and 2B will be on October 2nd at 6 p.m. at Northwoods Bank. On October 4th at 6 p.m., the County Commissioners (Districts 1 and 3) forum will be held at CHI St. Joseph's.Two forums for Hubbard County Sheriff will be on September 27th at 7 p.m. at Guthrie Town Hall and on October 18th at 6 p.m. at Northwoods Bank. More details on local forums can be found at http://lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_98.html
This is the second in a series of informational articles that League of Women Park Rapids Area is writing to help the voters navigate this election cycle. I hope your paper can use it within the next couple of weeks. Our intend is to increase the awareness of candidates for all race but especially for local races
