Party

caucuses

tonight

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The 2002 election campaign starts officially tonight with party precinct caucuses throughout Brown and Nicollet counties and the rest of Minnesota.

Each precinct caucus will start promptly at 7 p.m.

Only those political organizations that have been designated as major parties by the Minnesota Secretary of State's office are qualified to hold caucuses. This year 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 by anyone 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.

While the Secretary of State has attempted to enforce a state law requiring a "straw" ballot on gubernatorial candidates at the beginning of each caucus, the DFL and Independence parties are refusing to conduct such polls. Their position was supported in an opinion from Attorney General Mike Hatch.

The Secretary of State's office will tabulate and report the results of the straw ballots of those parties abiding by the law.

Brown County DFL Chair Lori Sellner of Sleepy Eye 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." The Independence Party declined because its candidate, Gov. Jesse Ventura, hasn't announced for re-election.

Party caucus locations for Brown and Nicollet counties 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. No information on possible Nicollet caucuses was available.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor

In Brown County, 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.

In Nicollet County, Courtland, Lafayette, Nicollet and Bernadotte, Brighton, Courtland, Granby, New Sweden, Lafayette, Nicollet, Ridgely and West Newton townships caucus at Lafayette Township Hall in Klossner at intersection of Highway 15 and County Road 5. All North Mankato precincts, Belgrade Township and Mankato W2-P-30 will meet in South Central Technical College cafeteria at 1920 Lee Boulevard in North Mankato. All St. Peter precincts and Lake Prairie, Oshawa and Traverse townships will gather at St. Peter High School cafeteria, 100 Lincoln Dr., St. Peter.

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

In Brown County, 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.

In Nicollet County, Lafayette and Bernadotte, Brighton, Ridgely and West Newton townships will caucus at the Lafayette Community Center. St. Peter precincts and Oshawa and Traverse townships meet at the St. Peter High School Media Center. North Mankato precincts and Belgrade Township meet at Hoover Elementary School while Granby, Lake Prairie and New Sweden Townships gather at Norseland Lutheran School. Nicollet and Courtland precincts caucus at Nicollet High School.

Boards, township boards, city councils or any other political subdivision conduct meetings after 6 p.m.