Caucuses

take place

March 5

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- With the political posturing and positioning going on in St. Paul, as well as the political ads starting to appear on television, a Minnesotan would have to be totally isolated from the world not to know 2002 is an election year.

Despite all the political skirmishing that's occurred, however, the official start of the 2002 election campaign, the party caucuses, is just a week and a day away. The caucuses are by law held on the first Tuesday in March of an election year, meaning every caucus will start promptly at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5.

For this election year, the Minnesota Secretary of State has designated four political organizations as major parties and thus qualified to hold caucuses. They are the Democratic-Farmer-Labor, Republican, Independence and Green parties.

While caucus participation is usually limited to those who are qualified to vote or will be prior to the general election, the Minnesota DFL has opened their caucus to participation to everyone 16 years of age or older. A 16-year-old can hold caucus office, introduce and vote on resolutions but cannot be a delegate to the party's state, district or county conventions.

"Lowering the age to 16 was proposed (in 1999) in order to engage young people," Brown County DFL Chair Lori Sellner of Sleepy Eye explained, "to get them interested in the political process by actually allowing them to bring forth their ideas."

Sellner said the DFL no longer conducts straw polls on candidates at the caucuses because "it doesn't always do a good job of reflecting who will be the endorsed candidate." So, having those under the age of 18 involved in caucus events wouldn't impact that, either.

Gerald Woodley of New Ulm, Brown County GOP chairman, said while his party welcomes everyone to attend, participation in the caucus is limited to those who are 18 or older or will be 18 before the general election, which will be Nov. 5.

Early on, the caucus system was used to select candidates for public office. However, over the years, as the country's population grew, it became more difficult to bring voters together in one place to make the selection so the selection process has given way to party conventions and state primaries.

Party caucus locations for Brown County are as follows:

Green:

Its first precinct caucus in Brown County will be held in the Jefferson Elementary School media center, 318 S. Payne St., New Ulm.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor:

For New Ulm and Cottonwood, Milford and Sigel townships, the caucus will be in the Jefferson Elementary School cafeteria, 318 S. Payne, New Ulm; the Hanska Community Center will be the caucus location for Hanska and Lake Hanska and Linden townships; for Sleepy Eye, Cobden, Evan and Eden, Home, Leavenworth, Prairieville and Stark townships, the caucus is at Sleepy Eye Public High Commons (old cafeteria); and in Springfield, Comfrey and Albin, Bashaw, Burnstown, Mulligan, North Star and Stately townships, caucus location is Springfield Public School cafeteria.

Independence:

Caucus for Brown, Nicollet and five other area counties will be held at Mankato West Senior High School, Room 115, 1351 S. Riverfront Dr., Mankato.

Republican:

Caucus for Sleepy Eye, Evan and Eden, Home, Leavenworth, Prairieville and Stark townships will be at Sleepy Eye Public High School, 4th Avenue SW, Sleepy Eye; Springfield Community Center is the caucus site for Springfield, Cobden, Comfrey and Bashaw, Burnstown, Mulligan, North Star and Stately townships; New Ulm precincts and Cottonwood, Milford and Sigel townships will caucus at Washington Elementary, 910 14th St. N., New Ulm; and the caucus for Hanska and Albin, Lake Hanska and Linden townships will be at the Hanska Community Center.

The Secretary of State's office notes there should be little reason not to attend a caucus. Employers are required to allow employees to take time off without pay, if given written notice 10 days prior to the caucus. State universities, community colleges and public schools cannot hold classes or events after 6 p.m.; nor can state agencies, school boards, county boards, township boards, city councils or any other political subdivision conduct meetings after 6 p.m.