In photo above, acclaimed vocalist and Minnesota-raised Mexican artist Lila Downs offers the community a few of her songs to celebrate Latino arts and culture in Minnesota.

On October 13 I traveled to Los Angeles to attend the 2012 Rail-Volution conference. Rail-Volution was a learning gathering of passionate citizen activists, developers, business leaders, planners, local elected officials, transit operators and government officials who came from more than 300 communities to share ideas and breakthroughs, frustrations and inspiration around rail projects and investment.

The conference was held right on Hollywood Boulevard, an important urban corridor that is recovering from blight and underinvestment in large part by a cartelizing investment in the Metro Red Line, their subway system. By participating in “mobile workshops” I was able to ride the subway and bus rapid transit to see how these transportation investments have been leveraged into transformational new developments.

One mobile workshop took me into communities revitalizing from blight – much like the areas I represent here in Minneapolis. It was helpful and instructive for me to see how public and private partners worked together to empower residents – often low-income, new arrival communities much like many of my constituents – and to engage folks in the redirection of their neighborhoods.

Of special interest to me was a trip to a high-quality, low-income development at MacArthur Park in a blighted neighborhood just outside of downtown LA. There I was able to tour and hear the history of an impressive transit oriented development (TOD) that really responded to the needs and interests in the community. Los Angeles City Council Member Ed Reyes who told the compelling story of community organizing and empowerment, often coordinated from his office, which helped drive the momentum and shape the design of this transformational project.

Another incredibly useful session was led by senior Federal Transit Authority (FTA) staff that held an informational and listening session around key transit programs to found in the new federal transportation legislation. Just last year, Congress passed a new, two-year transportation bill called “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” or MAP-21. This new bill is significantly different from those of the past and there is little information about its practical application. Because of my position representing the City of Minneapolis on several transportation bodies, especially where these federal funds get allocated to local projects, hearing information right from those who will be writing the federal directions and rules to spend these funds was most helpful.

At Rail-Volution I joined a large delegation from Minnesota including representatives from Hennepin County, MnDOT, Met Council/Met Transit, and other communities and rail advocates. It is especially exciting because our region will host the Rail-volution conference in 2014 with the 2013 conference being held in Seattle, WA.

Council Member Lilligren rides the Metro Red Line at the Rail-volution conference in Los Angeles to learn more about transportation oriented development (TOD) happening in their region.

Single Source Recycling

This year, recycling in Minneapolis will get easier, helping both residents and the environment. The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak have already approved moving forward to implement a single-sort recycling collection program for City of Minneapolis residential recycling customers. On October 9th of this year, the City Council’s Transportation and Public Works Committee received and filed the communications plan to help educate the public about this new effort.

Single-sort recycling is a system in which customers put all of their recyclables into one container for collection instead of separating glass from plastic from paper, etc. A study conducted for the City of Minneapolis compared single-sort, dual-sort (separating paper products from everything else) and our current “multi-sort” system, and it found that single-sort recycling is the most cost-effective of the three systems studied and the most convenient for customers.

Getting a new system in place will take time, and customers will see a changeover sometime in 2013. Until the new system is in place, Minneapolis recycling customers should continue separating their recycling. But once single-sort recycling starts, City of Minneapolis residential recycling customers will only need one container for all of their recycling.

Based on case studies, a single-sort system is projected to increase materials recovered by 60 percent and increase the Minneapolis recycling rate from 18.1 percent to 32 percent. It is also compatible with the possibility of the City collecting recycling from multi-unit housing, which is not currently under the City of Minneapolis recycling program, and the option to add organics recycling in the future.

Voting on Tuesday, November 6

The City of Minneapolis Elections Office encourages all eligible voters to vote in the General Election on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Individuals are eligible to vote if they are at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen who has resided in Minnesota for at least 20 days prior to the election. Minneapolis polls are open 7am – 8pm.

2012 Redistricting Information: Beginning in 2012, voters will use the new voting precincts that were set by the 2012 Redistricting Plan. All pre-registered voters were sent a white postcard in early July with their new voting precinct and polling place.  Redistricting in Minneapolis resulted in 14 fewer precincts, for a total of 119 precincts. Seven polling place facilities are new in 2012. Twenty former polling places are not being used. If you are unsure where to vote, enter your home address into the tools at www.mnvotes.org to find your polling place and view your sample ballot. To view maps of the new Districts, Wards and Precincts in Minneapolis go to www.minneapolismn.gov/elections and select Election Maps.

Are you pre-registered? All individuals whose registration applications were received by elections officials by 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 will be pre-registered for the Nov. 6 General Election. Voters who newly register or update their registration will receive a postcard notifying them where to vote. 

You can Register & Vote on Election Day: If you missed the deadline to pre-register, you may still be able to vote. In Minnesota individuals may register at the polls on Election Day by providing one of the proofs of residence required by Minnesota law. Please allow extra time at the polls to register. Any voters who have moved or changed their name since they last voted must re-register.  See our website for the list of identification required to register and vote on Election Day. What’s your question? Find your answer at www.mnvotes.org.

Am I pre-registered? At www.mnvotes.org use Check Your Registration to confirm you are registered to vote at your current address. If you are not pre-registered view Register to Vote to see a list of approved proofs of residence to be able to register and vote on Election Day.

Can I see a Sample Ballot for my precinct? Yes. At www.mnvotes.org these tools display the list of candidates and ballot question wording, candidate websites, and the exact sample ballot for your precinct: My Ballot, Check Your Registration, and Find Your Polling Place.

Where do I vote? At www.mnvotes.org use Check Your Registration or Find Your Polling Place to view a photo and map of your polling place. Note: Entering your Zip Code into the Polling Place Finder narrows the list of streets more than selecting your county.

If I am not pre-registered, can I register and vote on election day? Yes. At www.mnvotes.org view Register to Vote to see a list of approved proofs of residence to be able to register and vote on election day.

Absentee voting – extended hours for in-person absentee voting: Voters unable to vote in person at the polls on Election Day may vote in person or by mail.  Please allow 7 to 10 days to complete the entire process through the mail. Absentee ballot applications are available on our website and may be sent anytime throughout the year. Absentee voting for the General Election opened Friday, Sept. 21 and runs 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Minneapolis Elections Office is located in Minneapolis City Hall at 350 South 5th Street in Room 1B on the ground floor. Enter on the 4th Street side on the ground floor of Minneapolis City Hall, or from the light rail, use the Government Plaza stop and enter the 5th Street entrance and go down one flight to the ground floor. 

Extended in-person absentee voting hours the two weekends before the General Election include: Saturday, October 27 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturday, November 3 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Monday, November 5 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Saturdays, please use the 4th Street entrance.

Information about the absentee voting procedures for military and overseas voters is at https://minnesota.overseasvotefoundation.org. 

Time off from Work to Vote: Minnesota law allows eligible voters to take time off from work to vote. Work with your supervisor and co-workers to make sure everyone has time to vote. Please see Minnesota Statute 204C.04 Subd.1 for further information.

Accessibility improvements for polling places: The City of Minneapolis secured Help America Vote Act federal funding through the Minnesota Office of Secretary of State for the installation of electronic door openers at eight Minneapolis Park and Recreation Centers: Audubon, Longfellow, Bryant Square, Farview, Pearl, Whittier, Van Cleve, and Painter Park. In the past, federal funding provided accessibility improvements for these locations: curb cut at the Elections Warehouse & Training Center, and electronic door openers for Martin Luther King, Powderhorn and Creekview Parks.

Voting is accessible: Each absentee voting location and polling place will have a ballot marking device that assists a voter with a temporary or permanent disability to vote privately and independently. Features of the device include headphones for an audio ballot, and enlarged or high contrast screen display. Voters may mark their ballot using the touch screen or key pad. Voters unable to enter a polling place may, with the assistance of two election judges of different political parties, register and vote “curbside” without leaving their vehicle.

How to mark a ballot: Every voter in Minnesota uses a paper ballot. There are three choices available for marking a ballot: Use a pen, use the ballot marking device or have another person assist you – the person of your choice or two election judges of different major political parties.

Minneapolis 311 open during voting hours for November 6 General Election: Minneapolis 311 will extend their usual hours by one hour to serve voters while the polls are open. From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the November 6 General Election, Minneapolis voters can call Minneapolis 311 for information on how to register and where to vote. From outside the city limits dial 612-673-3000. TTY/TTD 612-673-2157.

Minneapolis School Board: The Minneapolis School Board has a total of nine members elected to staggered four-year terms.  In 2012, one School Board Member At Large will be elected, and voters in Districts 2, 4 & 6 will each elect a School Board Member by District. In 2014, two School Board Members At Large will be elected and voters in Districts 1, 3 & 5 will each elect a School Board Member by District. Candidate filings for Minneapolis School Board are posted on the web at www.minneapolismn.gov/elections along with links to other candidate filings for federal, state and county offices.

No Ranked Choice Voting This Year: Ranked Choice Voting will not be used in 2012. The 2012 election will be conducted using the traditional voting method in which a voter votes for one candidate for each office to be elected. Ranked Choice Voting is only used for Minneapolis municipal offices: Mayor, Council, Board of Estimate and Taxation, and Park Board. The Minneapolis School Board is not a municipal office.

Who represents me in the City of Minneapolis: Current city elected officials continue to represent the Ward or District from which they were elected through 2013. Here's what voters need to know:

•City Council Members elected in 2009 continue to represent the Wards from which they were elected through 2013

•Park District Commissioners elected in 2009 continue to represent the Districts from which they were elected through 2013

•City-wide officials elected to city-wide office continue to serve the entire city

2012 General Election Calendar

September 21, Absentee voting for General opened

October 16, Voter pre-registration deadline for the General

Monday – Friday, Absentee voting 8am – 4:30pm

Sat. Oct. 27, Absentee voting 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 3, Absentee voting 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tues. November 6, General Election, polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For further information The Minneapolis Office of Elections and Voter Registration is responsible for administering elections in the City of Minneapolis. For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis, or to serve as an election judge, residents can visit the Web site at www.minneapolismn.gov/elections or call Minneapolis 311, which can also be reached at (612) 673-3000 or TTY/TTD 612-673-2157.

From the Office of City Council Vice President Robert Lilligren
350 South 5th Street, City Hall, Room 307, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Robert.Lilligren@minneapolismn.gov · Ward 6 website · (612) 673-2206

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