November 1, 2015

In this off-year season, only a few municipalities in Minnesota are having elections. Nonetheless some races will be of interest to voters in Brooklyn Center, St Paul, and Duluth. We hope this Voter’s Guide will assist our membership and supporters in making their decisions in the November 3 general election.

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LPMN Voter’s Guide 2015

Without statewide or presidential candidates to drive voter turnout, this will be a low-turnout election. However, this increases the likelihood that our candidates can do well if our supporters show up and their opponents do not.

A nomination or endorsement indicates that a candidate has been interviewed firsthand and found to be substantially pro-liberty, enough to deserve special attention from our members and supporters. Our vetting of candidates is intended to serve as a guide, and we advise voters to do their own due diligence before making their voting decisions.

Here are candidates and issues which have been endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Minnesota in this year’s municipal elections.

METRO-AREA CITY RACES:

BROOKLYN CENTER – SCHOOL BOARD
Mary O’Connor (L)nominated by LPMN, endorsement granted
Deliberation: Ms O’Connor’s main goal is to eliminate the School Board’s operating debt. To focus on critical academic curricula and give city residents more control over their own funds, she would cut non-essentials like sports programs and return them to voluntary nonprofit organizations such as Little League. She would save funds by eliminating redundant educational facilities, consolidating all education programs into the Brooklyn Center high school. Ms O’Connor volunteers at a local school and has worked at the University of Minnesota.  She is one of four candidates running to fill three seats with only one incumbent.
Decision: Nominated by Executive Committee 7-0.
Resources: [Article]

ST PAUL – CITY COUNCIL, WARD 5
Note: A candidate in this ward, David Sullivan-Nightengale (IP), made some remarks about Libertarians on his Facebook page which were also published to his party’s website. Due to the nature of his remarks and that they gained national media coverage, the LPMN issued a response. Furthermore, residents may like to know that Mr Sullivan-Nightengale criticized a court decision striking down a mandate which would’ve forced private homeowners to install sprinkler systems, opposite to our proposal on this specific issue. Residents of Ward 5 may wish to consider these matters before making their voting decision.

ST PAUL – CITY COUNCIL, WARD 6
Kevin Bradley (L), 1st Choicenominated by LPMN, endorsement granted
Deliberation: Among his reasons for running, Mr Bradley opposes taxpayer funding for a new soccer stadium, supporting private funding methods instead. He seeks new transparency so city spending is easily available to residents on the internet. He notes that the city’s taxpayer funding for the new St Paul Saints baseball stadium went overbudget by $22 million, which was kept hidden from residents until all contracts were signed. He wants better financial management, offering an example where St Paul replaced numerous sidewalks throughout the city, but an independent consultant conducted a study afterward which found that only 11% of those sidewalks needed replacement. As another example, the City Council approved classic-looking streetlights to replace existing lights without seeking any input from neighbors. He would end the city’s censorship of open-microphone sessions by city residents, restoring the previously-televised broadcasts of this portion of City Council meetings. A key issue for Mr Bradley is St Paul’s unfriendliness to small businesses due to its taxes and unneeded insurance mandates, resulting in business costs 20-30% higher than in neighboring Maplewood. He is running against a 17-year DFL incumbent who doesn’t bother to show up to public debates, leaving debating to only the two challengers in the race. Due to his call to end marijuana criminalization, Mr Bradley has also gained support from the Legal Marijuana Now Party.
Decision: Nominated by Executive Committee 7-0.
Resources: [Facebook] [Website] [Article]

NORTHERN MINNESOTA CITY RACES:

DULUTH – CITY QUESTIONS
Proposal 2 – Ranked Choice Voting
Recommendation: Vote Yes on 2supported by LPMN resolution
Deliberation: The Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) method gives each voter more say about the candidates they see. Most importantly, it helps mitigate the “wasted vote” myth. RCV allows a voter to choose their favorite candidate, perhaps a principled candidate who best supports their views, as their 1st Choice. However the voter still retains their ability to have an impact on the final result by also selecting 2nd and 3rd Choices, perhaps more pragmatic candidates who while not being ideal, may be more likely to win. An illustration of this can be found in the 1992 presidential election, the only recent presidential race where more than two candidates received publicity from nationwide televised debates. Ross Perot won 19% that year, a decent showing, although Mr Perot’s supporters claimed afterward that if more voters had supported him without fear of “wasting” their vote, he may have won. We will never know those voters’ true intentions. But had RCV had been in place, there might’ve been a different outcome. Under RCV, a libertarian supporter could’ve voted for Andre Marrou, the Libertarian candidate, as their 1st Choice. But with Mr Marrou eliminated due to comparatively lower vote totals, they may have chosen Mr Perot as their 2nd Choice who as an outsider would’ve shaken up the political system and supported libertarian goals on some issues. And even if both Mr Marrou and Mr Perot were eliminated, the voter could’ve still chosen between George Bush Senior and Bill Clinton as their 3rd Choice, influencing which way that election swung. LPMN Chair Chris Dock recently published an article about the merits of RCV.
Decision: Endorsed by Executive Committee in 2006. The LPMN is a longtime supporter of RCV and is one of the founding organizations pushing for its enactment across Minnesota.
Resources: [Website 1] [Website 2]

Party affiliations are: (L) Libertarian Party, (IP) Independence Party. Although some races are officially nonpartisan, nominated candidates with (L) will be considered an elected Libertarian if successful.

How to vote

Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm on Tuesday, November 3.

To find your voting location, you may use the Secretary of State’s Polling Place Finder. Residents who aren’t pre-registered can still vote on Election Day by bringing proof of residency. More information is available about eligibility and address changes.

St Paul already utilizes Ranked Choice Voting, so this explanation will be helpful to residents unfamiliar with this method. It’s important to note that voters are not obligated to vote for all three choices in every race. If a voter prefers one candidate only, they can select that candidate as their 1st Choice, then leave blank or write-in “None Of The Above” for the 2nd or 3rd Choices.

A prudent voting practice for your consideration: No one is obligated to select a candidate for every race. A good candidate should earn your vote. If you don’t approve of the candidates offered, or if you aren’t familiar with them, consider leaving the section blank, or better yet, writing-in “None Of The Above” to make a statement that you believe the choices are unsatisfactory. (Most Libertarians are already familiar with NOTA. NOTA is a longstanding option on all internal party ballots within both the LPMN and the National LP. Minnesota state ballots don’t offer it specifically, but this option can be exercised by utilizing the write-in line.)

Looking ahead to 2016

Next year will be a more active election season with contested races in many other municipalities, state legislative and US congressional races, and of course, US president in 2016. We in the LPMN are already looking toward next year’s elections by seeking candidates for these offices.

Do you wish there had been a Libertarian running in your area? We understand that becoming a candidate is a personal decision which must be weighed against family and career obligations. However, spreading the libertarian message requires supporters of liberty to stand up and take action. Could that person be you? Running as a Libertarian is one of the best ways to promote the ideals of both personal and economic freedom directly to the public, combining your efforts with those of other Libertarian candidates and LPMN activists to achieve a greater impact.

Unlike the Two Big Old parties, the vast majority of our candidates come directly from the public, by people who are ready to take action to change the system, but who often have little or no political experience. To address that, the LPMN has activists who assist newcomers on running as a candidate and offering guidance in organizing a campaign.

If you might be interested in running as a Libertarian candidate for any race, please contact our Political Director, Chris Holbrook.

Ultimately, candidates can seek nomination at the annual LPMN State Convention (to be held on April 16), from the LPMN Executive Committee, or from a recognized regional affiliate if applicable. In addition to nominated candidates running under our Libertarian banner, the LPMN welcomes candidates from any party or political affiliation to seek our endorsement.

We hope this Voter’s Guide will assist our membership and supporters in making their decisions on November 3. We wish the best of luck to our nominated candidates and congratulate them on taking a personal stand for liberty!

Concerned about the expansion of government control and the erosion of individual liberty? Please consider joining and becoming active with the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. Libertarians support liberty on all issues, all the time! Libertarianism is a philosophical and political movement to promote personal freedom, strong civil liberties, a genuinely free marketplace, and peace.

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