Secrets of the City

Any system that allows the Lizard People to take the rightful place as our new Overlords is alright with me. BTW, the new “V” premieres tonight. Keep yer gerbils safe tonight, kiddies.

Kidding aside, there was only one item on our ballot, a referendum on a school levy increase for Anoka-Hennepin district. I was first in line to cast a vote today.

It was pretty sleepy at our St. Paul station, too, which was nice because it gave me time to show off pictures of our little one in her Halloween costume to the pollworkers. Captive audience! No one could runoff, instantly or otherwise.

I’m only going for the IRV. Lizard People definitely get my #1 choicee.

I’m voting after work. I know who for Mayor and Council, plus my second and third choices, but the rest of the ballot is a mystery to me. I think I’ll skip them all except the amendment thing.

@Bob: Looks like one of our council candidates are on the same wavelength:

From Melissa Hill’s Facebook page: “you can rank up to three people for each office – including write-ins for those who just have to see how many votes Lizard People will get this year”

Pleasant looking woman: Too bad she’s a nutcase:

“Instead of discouraging civil disobedience, we should be encouraging it as a viable tactic as it is obvious that the elected and unelected “leaders” on all levels are trying to stop any expressions of dissent.”

She is advocating democracy Afghan-style, Rat. Join the political procress, then drop out in protest just before the election. Also seen in parts of upstate New York.

As a “Lizard Person” I take offense to these attacks! I voted already, and I did not into account any candidate’s lizardian leanings. Go green!

I’m surprised you could crawl off your electric rock on this frosty morning, DouglasG. Yer a real ‘Merican, even if you look a little alien.

I’m glad that with IRV (They actually don’t like to call it that because it is far from instant) we will know the results in a few months instead of a few hours. In Minneapolis they are referring to to it as Ranked Choice Voting. Some comments I have read say that official results for some contests might not be announced until the deadline of December 15th.

I think that Hill woman has it in for the cops or basically, anyone in authority. Which would make her right at home here.

Not that I find our current councilwoman any great shakes, either. I may put her second. Haven’t decided, yet.

Re: Lizard People. Go green? Nah. You’re too cold blooded!

The daily has an editorial regarding a proposed ordinance (http://www.mndaily.com/2009/11/02/drunk-drinking-laws):

“On Oct. 14, the St. Paul City Council unanimously approved an ordinance making it a crime to host any event where minors can easily possess or drink alcohol. Minneapolis City Councilman Cam Gordon, if re-elected, has indicated he will introduce a similar ordinance for Minneapolis, and he expects it will easily pass in December.”

I’m a supporter of Cam – I voted for him this morning – but I for one would like to see less of this nanny-aspect of the Green Party and more of the economically progressive, environmental side.

A teenager who dies of alcohol posioning at an adult-hosted party won’t be brought back to life by a better recycling program, jeffk.

I think that reasonable measures to punish those adults who allow minors to binge drink (and they will) at parties is reasonable. The question is, will the same ordinance be applied to a family that allows their 16 daughter to drink some wine at Thanksgiving dinner? That’s where things get tricky.

Someone define “easily possess or drink alcohol.” Because, events like the Taste of Minnesota, any sporting event, any concert, or even a backyard barbecue aren’t locked down when it comes to alcohol consumption.

And if those aren’t the problems, what is? What is it about current drinking laws, or their lack of enforcement, that requires yet another regulation to be put on the books?

I disagre, noodleman. You don’t have to buy tickets or show ID at the register to grab the bottle of Everclear at the unsupervised party in the Fineberg home.

Those public events you cited have (or should have) measures in place to prevent/reduce underage prinking. Parties at private residences don’t. The vast majority of adults in Mpls are responsible enough NOT to provide alcohol to minors. It’s the tiny group that do that this ordinance is aimed at. That’s the way it always is — just a tiny group of people doing the wrong thing can mess it up for everyone else.

Yes, I think my concern is *not* adult-hosted parties for high-school age kids, but for places where 20 and 21-year-olds overlap – basically every party ever featuring young-ish ADULTS. Imagine the liability now imposed on a 24-year-old student who opens his house for the evening, invites a dozen friends, and one 20-year-old student shows up and drinks a beer. Now the 24-year-old is a criminal. Great.

I mean, seriously, how many high-school students are dying of alcohol poisoning at adult-hosted parties anyways? Is there some kind of epidemic I’m unaware of? This is the exact kind of distraction that irritates the hell out of me.

Going over the ballot last weekend, I found it much more of a hassle to have to pick three people for every race than just picking one. But I’m sure it was a hassle for guys to go out and face canons and bayonets so I could have that choice, so I’ll survive.

I’m voting yes on the charter question. Having a separate board for setting taxes seems rather like having the tax committee be separate from the Legislature.

kwatt, you don’t have to pick 3, you can pick just one if you want. It doesn’t invalidate your ballot and your one choice counts.

Then why do we get three choices?

I don’t understand the meaning behind this, either.

I suppose its for people who would otherwise vote for a third-party candidate, but are afraid they’re going to throw their vote away. But I’m not sure this is a race where that matters, unless you really want to vote for the guy who thinks Laura Ingalls Wilder is God.

Instant Runoff Voting: You can pick your friends…AND your nose.

“I suppose its for people who would otherwise vote for a third-party candidate, but are afraid they’re going to throw their vote away”

Well, you don’t want to hurt their feelings,

And wound their inner child.

I was the 71st person to vote tonight at 6:15. That’s a disappointingly low number.

Why do the ballots in Minneapolis’ ranked choice elections have to be counted by hand? The machines give totals for each candidate for each round. In cases like Ryback, he got around 70% of the votes. Somehow this isn’t official, but I don’t understand why not. In cases where no one gets 50% of the vote, shouldn’t they be able to just add the totals from the second choices? It doesn’t make sense to me why every ballot would need to be counted by hand.

I think next election we should try and get 500 to 600 hundred people registered to run for each position. I would love to see 50 or 60 pages of ballot for each position with the main candidates mixed in with the rabble.

Let’s see how people like that.

The referrendum I voted for passed. I get to pay more taxes now. Yea!

All elections results are “unofficial” until certified, curious. The tally can (and often does) change from the election night count.

i think you are giddy at the idea of paying more taxes, Bob.

What’s the Anoka-Hennepin School District’s Sob Story?

No sob story, just educating kids.

curious:

1 No election return is official until after the canvass and certification.

2 the scanners can total each column, but my understanding is they still need to be programmed to handle the “runoff” tallying. There wasn’t time to complete and validate that before the election.