As Minnesotans await the results of the Minnesota House District 40B special election, Kathleen Cole, Professor and Department Chair of Social Science at Metropolitan State University, discusses the state’s current political landscape and how Minnesotans can stay engaged in the democratic process.
Transcript
ANCHOR: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
Katharine DeCelle: The special election to fill a vacancy in Minnesota House District 40-B, representing parts of Roseville and Shoreview in Ramsey County, takes place today, March 11th. The election was called after the winning candidate, Curtis Johnson, was found not to reside in the district.
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Since the start of this legislative biennium, the Minnesota capital has operated under a power sharing agreement the following resolution and moves its adoption.
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Republicans currently hold the speakership and control House committees. They maintain a narrow 6766 vote advantage and are hereby adopted as the temporary if the special election results in a 6767 tie. House committees will be co-chaired by Democrats and Republicans, with an equal number of members from each party.
Kathleen Cole: This is not normal. It's not normal in Minnesota, and it's not normal elsewhere.
Katharine DeCelle: That’s Kathleen Cole, Professor and Department Chair of social science at Metropolitan State University. Professor Cole says that it's really important in the state legislature for parties to have the majority. Because whatever party has the majority control of that chamber, they really run the show. They get to appoint the leadership of that chamber. They get to appoint all the committee members and the committee leadership. Through this leadership, Professor Cole says that these legislators get to decide which bills get to be considered and which don't. With this unique power structure at the state level, combined with the daily set of news coming from the federal government, voters may find it overwhelming to determine their role and how to make their voices heard.
According to Professor Cole, what's really difficult is that legislators only listen to the people in their districts. She says, if someone lives in Minneapolis and tries to call a legislator in Bemidji, they're not my legislator, and they don't have any incentive to listen to me. Yet, even in a polarized political environment, civic engagement remains essential. It is through participation that communities ensure their specific concerns reach their representatives.
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Professor Cole believes that legislators listen only when there is a concerted push from their constituents. She says we have until May to get these legislators to prioritize what our communities need, people should really be reaching out to their legislators, talking with their community, and getting them to reach out on issues that matter to them.
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Constituents serve as the eyes and ears of their elected officials, and civic involvement extends far beyond Election Day. Professor Cole explains that when a constituent speaks with their legislator, they want to know what their constituents want. This ongoing interaction helps lawmakers focus on the needs of their communities and bring those issues to the Capitol.
Professor Cole also recognizes that a lot of times people feel intimidated to speak on this issue. She also emphasized that people don't need to understand every detail of the legislative process, that's the role of their representatives.
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For Professor Cole, part of the barrier with getting people to participate in democracy is getting folks to understand that you're the expert of your experience and you're the expert of your community. She says that people know what it's like to live in their community. They know what your community needs, and you can speak to that, she encourages residents to ask, how could the state help us, and then to leave it to the policy makers and the legislators to work out the policy and the back end.
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Regardless of the outcome of the special election, one thing remains clear, active civic participation is key to ensuring that local issues have a seat at the decision-making table. You can find information on how to contact your local representatives on the Minnesota Legislature website at www.gis.lcc.mn.gov.
For North Star Stories, I’m Katharine DeCelle
ANCHOR: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers.org.