Sunday, December 30, 2012
The proposed Minnesota marriage amendment was turned down by voters in 2012 and Northfield led the charge in its defeat.
As the end of the year approaches, Patch recaps the biggest stories of 2012—both in terms of pageviews and impact on the Northfield community. It was a simple yes or no question: Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota? Marriage between two gay individuals is not currently recognized by Minnesota law. A ballot cast with no vote on this question will count as a "no" vote. This amendment would also invalidate common-law marriages for straight couples. A question, it turned out, that a majority of Northfielders vehemently opposed. More than 73 percent of ballots cast in Northfield opposed the amendment. But a movement to defeat …
Friday, November 9, 2012
Voters in the mostly suburban cities Patch covers were more opposed to the proposed gay-marriage ban than Minnesota voters generally.
Here's how residents in a selection of Minnesota cities voted on the ballot measure that would have added a definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman to the state Constitution. Statewide, the ballot measure failed to exceed the 50 percent level of support it needed in the Nov. 6, 2012 general election. It got 47.53 percent, according to unofficial results from all but two of Minnesota's 4,102 precincts' results. Taken together, people in cities served by Patch—mostly in the Twin Cities suburbs—rejected the marriage amendment in greater proportion (61.21 percent) than Minnesotans taken as a whole (52.47 percent). Support for the amendment in places covered by Patch ranged from 14.51 percent in Southwest Minneapolis to 54.…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
It's not a secret that Northfield has a reputation that favors Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates.
It's not a secret that Northfield has a reputation that favors Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates. In the 2008 presidential election, then-DFL candidate Barack Obama won each of Northfield's nine precincts by a large margin. Overall, he collected 71.8 percent of the 10,860 votes cast in his race against Republican candidate John McCain. In 2010, DFLers Kevin Dahle and David Bly easily carried Northfield but lost their re-election bid for the Minnesota Senate and House, respectively, to their Republican counterparts. It'll be no surprised that the DFL momentum continued in Northfield for this year's election. No DFL candidate on the ballot received fewer than 65 percent of the vote. For the 2012 election, we've broken down how Northfield's …
While proponents were saying the race was still too early to call, the Associated Press called the race shortly before 2 a.m. The vote means the state constitution will not define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The Minnesota Marriage Amendment has been rejected. The campaign to amend the Minnesota state constitution to limit the definition of marriage to strictly between heterosexual couples was defeated Tuesday by more than 51 percent of a statewide vote. With 92 percent of state precincts reporting, the Associated Press reported shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday that Amendment 1—informally known as the Minnesota Marriage Amendment—had failed: "Vote No" won. Speaking to a cheering crowd of hundreds at St Paul's River Centre, Richard Carlbom, the campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, told audiences that Minnesota was the first state in the nation to reject a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage at the ballot …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Video from various spots around the metro, including Republican Party headquarters in Bloomington and the DFL Party's gathering in Minneapolis.
Red. Blue. Downtown or Southtown, we will have it covered tonight as election results come in around the Twin Cities. Twin Cities Patch sites are teaming up with our friends at TheUptake to bring video coverage from various sites tonight as we wrap up this historic election. The embedded player allows you to change feeds, or "channels," to check out the coverage and interviews you want to see. Thanks for "tuning in," and enjoy a whole new way to take in the Election Night.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Despite support from the Minnesota GOP, Patch's panel thinks the amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman will fall short.
Twin Cities Republicans aren't confident the so-called Marriage Amendment will make its way into the constitution after Tuesday's general election. In a flash poll issued Friday to Patch's panel of Republican politicians and activists, the majority believed the amendment, which requires a "yes" vote to be added to the constitution by voters, would fall short. About 57 percent of the 33 survey responders said the amendment would fall short. Our Republican panel also felt Barack Obama, running to remain president, had conducted a better campaign in Minnesota, a state he's favored to win in Tuesday night's election. "It's going to be exceedingly close, on the Presidential race and on both amendment questions," one pundit said. The …
Here's a cheat sheet so you know when you can vote, where you can vote and who's asking for your vote.
Nov. 6 has been circled on the calendar for some time. Finally, Election Day is here. Northfield Patch has created a guide so you know when you can vote, where you can vote and who's asking for your vote. On this post you'll find a breakdown of the races and issues with several links that'll lead you to more information on Patch and other sources. Words that are blue are links that will bring you to more information. Be sure to keep your browser on Patch on Election Day as we bring you updates throughout the day and share results as they come in. Voting is open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Because of redistricting this year, some voters have shifted precincts, wards and polling locations. If you're still not able to …
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Have a letter to the editor? Email it to corey.butler@patch.com.
- OPINION
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Sunday, November 4, 2012
To the Editor: The conversation in Minnesota regarding marriage for gay and lesbian couples is complicated, emotional and, more often than not, uncomfortable. But it is beneficial. Both sides share the hope for a Minnesota that guarantees our right to religion and protects and recognizes our families. We just disagree on how we get there. There is an important distinction to be drawn between changing “ordinary” legislation and amending a constitution. While our national legislature has passed thousands of laws, for instance, it has only amended the federal Constitution on twenty‐seven occasions, ten passed shortly after ratification as the Bill of Rights, and three of which – the 13th, 14th, and 15th – took a civil war to enact. This was a…
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Have a letter for the editor? Email corey.butler@patch.com.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
To the Editor: Dear voters, How we vote on the marriage amendment gives us the direct power to alter how others live their lives, and for this reason, I urge you to consider the lasting impact your vote will have on others. I have talked to some people who have said that this is a private matter that they don’t want to talk about, and we are certainly all entitled to our own opinion. However, it is important to recognize that this amendment involves public discrimination against a minority group of our citizens, and it is a misuse of our constitution which was created to protect civil liberties rather than eliminate them. Voting yes on this amendment makes a private matter involving family decisions a very public judgment. Voting yes on …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Roughly 60 volunteers telephoned South Metro voters from First United Church of Christ of Northfield on Saturday.
If a South Metro resident received a phone call concerning Minnesota’s proposed marriage constitutional amendment this past weekend, that call probably originated in Northfield. First United Church of Christ of Northfield played host on Saturday to a phonathon conducted by Minnesotans United for All Families. On Nov. 6, Minnesotans will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman, which would limit marriage to opposite sex couples. Minnesotans United is the official campaign opposed to the proposed amendment. Phonathon organizers said early Saturday afternoon that volunteers were on pace to make more than 3,000 calls to registered voters in Rice, Dakota, Scott and Goodhue counties …
44.457361
-93.157037
First United Church of Christ of Northfield
300 Union St, Northfield, MN
/articles/marriage-amendment-opponents-conduct-phonathon-at-northfield-church
991971
/locations/7985517
Connor Goulet
5:26 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Now this is the kind of outcome I expected to see from MN! It's good to see those bigoted bible thumpers didn't get their way this time. more ›