Neighbors,
I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season and staying warm. I wish you all happy holidays, and I hope the New Year brings you peace, joy, and success in your resolutions!
For the first time this year, Minnesotans will participate in a presidential primary, rather than a caucus. No matter what your party affiliation is, it’s important to cast your vote and help ensure our government is representative of our shared values.
Absentee balloting for the 2020 Minnesota presidential nominating primary begins on January 17th, which is less than a month away. You can order an absentee ballot or update your voter registration here. Still have questions? Here’s a short Q and A:
When will the presidential nomination primary take place?
March 3, 2020, with early voting beginning on January 17th.
Will all parties be on the same ballot?
No, each major party will have a separate ballot.
Will there be a place to write in a choice or vote for “uncommitted”?
If it is requested by the party chair. Party chairs will need to submit names of write-in candidates to be counted seven days before the primary.
Will any other offices be on the ballot?
No, only presidential candidates from a major party will appear on the presidential primary ballot. Other offices with a primary will be on the primary ballot in August.
Will parties have to abide by the primary results?
The presidential primary results must bind the election of delegates in each party.
Will there still be precinct caucuses?
Yes, precinct caucuses and local and state nominating conventions will still take place to conduct other party business.
Work for the Census
The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting people to assist with the 2020 Census count. They need to hire 45,000 people across the state to complete the count, which occurs once every 10 years. Temporary census positions are a great opportunity to earn extra income, while at the same time helping your community.
Shifts are flexible, with full-time, part-time, weekend, and evening shifts available. They are especially looking for diverse candidates and those fluent in languages spoken in our community including Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Oromo, Amharic, Karen, and Vietnamese. Find out more information here.
Wage theft
On July 1, one of the toughest wage theft laws in the country went into effect here in Minnesota. MPR recently had a segment on the law, which creates additional protections for workers and holds accountable employers who don’t pay their workers the wages they’ve earned. The law also includes funding to add staff for enforcement and conduct outreach and education for employers, workers and their communities.
No Child Left Inside Phase II grant applications now open
The new No Child Left Inside initiative is a grant program that gets more children outdoors. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources received an overwhelming response for Phase I with more than 400 applications. Preference is given to projects that propose new and innovative ways to serve youth who have limited outdoor opportunities. The grants are open to public entities and nonprofit organizations serving youth. Applications are due by 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9.
If you’re traveling for the holidays, remember you can always check MNDOT’s live traffic updates to help plan your trip!
Sincerely,
Rep. Michael V. Nelson