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The 2012 election season is heating up and Patch is bringing you coverage of the candidates and issues for local, state and U.S. races.Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Thousands of Richfield voters made it to their respective precincts Tuesday to cast their vote for a variety of races and, of course, the President of the United States. As it is no secret that Richfield traditionally votes liberal, the voters overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama in his bid for re-election. Between all the nine Richfield precincts, Obama received an average of nearly 66 percent of the vote, compared to Romney's 28 percent—a 38 percent difference, according to unofficial …
***Last update: 9 p.m. a.m. Monday, Nov. 5, 2012*** As Election Day nears, Richfield Patch is committed to providing great coverages of local, state and national candidates, the races, issues on the ballot and voting procedures. The following is a collection of articles and links to aid voters as they prepare to head to the polls Tuesday. Click on the blue links to other Patch resources: Voting Richfield's ward and precinct lines were redrawn earlier this year after the Minnesota State Legislature passed its own redisticting plan. Some voters will find their precinct has changed. See …
Thursday's debate at KFAI Radio's studio between Rep. Keith Ellison and Republican candidate Chris Fields was a fiery one, complete with low-blows and name-calling. In case you missed any of the action, Patch was in studio catching all the details: REPLAY: Rep. Keith Ellison's Name-Calling Gets Vulgar in Angry Debate The Claws Come Out: Ellison, Fields Get Nasty During Thursday Debate AUDIO: Hear the Low Points of Thursday's Fractious Ellison-Fields Debate Ellison: 'I Acted Beneath My Personal Standard' What Happened in KFAI Studio During Keith Ellison-Chris Fields Debate Fields: 'Keith …
Once again Richfield voters will be charged with voting for or against a proposed referendum, or operating levy, this November. Richfield Public Schools Superintendent Bob Slotterback presented the measure at a recent League of Women Voters of Richfield candidate forum in late September. So, what are voters being asked when they hit the polls on Nov. 6? Here’s the rundown: There will be two ballot questions before voters The existing referendum is set to expire at the end of the 2012-13 school year and there will be two related questions on the ballot. The first question will ask voters if …
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter With the November election just a few weeks away, candidates hoping to represent Richfield (and Bloomington) in the Minnesota State Legislature came together to lay their qualifications and political priorities before voters last Saturday. The candidate forum was held Richfield City Hall and Municipal Center by the League of Women Voters of Richfield. Candidates answered a variety of questions from the voters’ league and audience members. As far as their priorities if elected, Richfield Patch …
This year's election is exactly six weeks away. If you haven’t yet registered to vote, get it off your to-do list now. Today is National Voter Registration Day, and thousands of local, state and national organizations have mobilized to make sure millions of people don’t miss the chance to cast their vote in this year’s elections. Six million people didn’t vote in the 2008 elections because they either did not know how to register or because they missed the voter registration deadline. The voter registration deadline for Minnesota is Oct. 16. Not sure if you’re registered? Check the Secretary …
The League of Women Voters of Richfield is sponsoring a Candidates Forum on from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 29 at Richfield City Hall and Municipal Center. The forum is open to the public and will include candidates for both city and state elected offices as well as a presentation on the Richfield Public Schools District’s operating levy referendum. The forum will also be videotaped for later showing on cable television. The schedule and invited participants are as follows (* denotes incumbent): State Offices Time: 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Senate District 50: Melissa H. Wiklund (D) and Vern …
With the November election drawing nearer, Patch took readers' questions to incumbent Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and his Republican challenger, Chris Fields. Each interview is in two parts and can be easily viewed by clicking on the desired blue link below: Chris Fields Answers Patch Readers' Questions (Part 1) Chris Fields Answers Patch Readers' Questions (Part 2) Keith Ellison Answers Patch Readers' Questions (Part 1) Keith Ellison Answers Patch Readers' Questions (Part 2) Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Editor’s note: The following are unofficial results for the 2012 Minnesota primary election, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Results for federal and state offices are unofficial until the state canvassing board meets on Aug. 21, 2012. County results are unofficial until canvassed Aug. 16 or 17. In a primary election that had low turnout, voters made choices in several county state and federal races. In the 2012 primary race in Richfield 1,186 cast their vote – 1,027, of 35 …
After seeing that a few thousand of his supporters made it to the polls Tuesday night, Chris Fields—the Republican challenger to Fifth District incumbent Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)—felt the day had been a victory. First at a reception Tuesday night, and later in an email letter, Fields gave the following speech: Thank you! I need to start out tonight by thanking people who are important in my life - my parents - Hi Mom and Dad, and my wife Christa. I also need to thank each and every Freedom and Liberty loving American here this evening.I have two words to say about tonight’s victory…
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) easily beat out fellow DFL challengers Gary Boisclair and Gregg Iverson on Minnesota Primary Night. Ellison secured nearly 90 percent of the total votes, with 30,609 in total. Boisclair and Iverson tallied 1,397 and 2,143, respectively. Ellison is currently serving his third term as Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District representative for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first Muslim elected to Congress and was the first black man elected to the House from Minnesota. Ellison will be joined on the ballot by Republican Chris Fields, a retired, 21-year …
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter With the recent redistricting of the city's wards and precincts, some voters may be running into some difficulity this Primary day. One resident, Joy Jurewicz, said when she arrived at Richfield Middle School to cast her vote around 8:30 a.m. she assumed polling was taking place in the cafeteria. "There were no signs directing you to the polling place from the parking lot," she said in an e-mail. "[I asked a] school worker inside the building where the polling was and they directed us to the …
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter After Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate over the weekend, Minnesota and the country has been buzzing. Richfield resident and Republican candidate for the Minnesota House, Craig Marston, told Patch the pick gives voters a definite choice when they decide what direction the country should go. In an e-mail, Marston said: "This election is going to be about the economy and getting people back to work. Ryan understands the …
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Richfield residents, like many Minnesotans, will be hitting the polls Tuesday to help narrow the field of local and state candidates before November's general election. Yes, Tuesday, Aug. 14 is Minnesota Primary day. Richfield Patch has put together a guide of sorts to help locals before heading to their respective polling locations. Richfield City Council Edwina Garcia, Kent Fairbairn and Dave Buzicky are all vying for the soon-to-be-vacant spot of retiring council member, Fred Wroge, who …
More than two-thirds of influential Republicans from around the Twin Cities Patch areas believe Mitt Romney can pull off an upset win in Minnesota in 2012. First, the survey shows, the presumed nominee has to reach out to Ron Paul Republicans. Ninety-six conservatives from Twin Cities Patch areas—from St. Michael to Woodbury, Fridley to Northfield—were surveyed last week in Patch’s inaugural Twin Cities Red poll, which focused on November’s biggest race. Forty responses were collected. When asked if they felt Mitt Romney could pick up a win over President Barack Obama in the fall, two-thirds …
Editor's Note: Prof. Dale Carpenter sent in this note in response to a poll and discussion on Patch about Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's choice of a title for a constitution amendment on the 2012 ballot that would ban same-sex marriage. One thing the news outlets have been missing is that it's actually the legal responsibility of the secretary of state, not the legislature, to determine the ballot title. That has been the case since 1919, when the Secretary of State was given authority to choose an "appropriate title" for amendments passed by the legislature. The idea is that the…
Late last week, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced the title that will introduce the same-sex marriage amendment on the November ballot. He chose the words, "Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples." According to the Star Tribune, amendment supporters wanted the title, "Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman." Chuck Darrell, a spokesman for Minnesota for Marriage, the amendment proponents, told the Star Tribune that Ritchie's language choice "is a perfect example of why we need the marriage amendment—you can't trust politicians to allow the law. …
Resident Josh Root withdrew his candidacy for Richfield City Council last week, leaving incumbent council member, Tom Fitzhenry, unopposed in Ward 3. Incumbent Pat Elliott is also running unopposed in Ward 1, however, Ward 2 has three candidates (Edwina Garcia, David Buzicky and Kent Fairbairn) attempting to snatch the seat of retiring council member Fred Wroge. Stay tuned for more election coverage from Richfeld Patch.
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter With every Minnesota House and Senate seat up for re-election this November, the State Capitol was without a doubt a busy spot the last couple weeks as legislative incumbents and hopefuls filed for candidacy. The recent legislative redistricting split Richfield between two districts: Everything north and east of 73rd Street and Lyndale Avenue falls into Senate District 63, leaving the majority of Richfield in Senate District 50. The number of House districts (two) remained the same. The following …
The November's election will no doubt be an interesting one, with the presidential race, three Minnesota Constiutional amendments voters will have to decide on and, of course, the likeliness of another Richfield Public Schools referendum. As far as Richfield's City Council seats go, three (Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 3) are all up for re-election. Mayor Debbie Goettel and Council Member At-Large Sue Sandahl were both re-elected in November 2010 and will be up again in 2014. Council Member Fred Wroge (Ward 2) recently announced he would not seek re-election. The following are the names of those …
