David Eide – Opinion Columnist

The last couple of months have seen one of the most important dramas in American politics play out across the country. I am speaking of the redrawing of congressional districts that occurs once every ten years in order to ensure that districts have equal population. This is an incredibly important event as the redrawing of lines also grants the opportunity for gerrymandering that grants one party a significant advantage, see the hideous maps in Maryland or Texas for an example of gerrymandering in action. Recent events have thrust Minnesota and Gustavus in particular into the national spotlight and as a consequence we are likely to soon see a lot of attention from the rest of the country.
Firstly however, a bit of context is needed in regard to how Minnesota’s new congressional map was drawn. Unlike in many other states where a single party controls the redistricting process, Minnesota has split government with the Republicans controlling the State Senate and Democrats controlling the State House meaning that the parties would have had to compromise to pass maps.
However, neither party was willing to budge and so the responsibility for drawing the new maps eventually went to the state court system who appointed a panel to draw the maps which were eventually released on February 15. These new maps are fairly similar to the current ones with slight adjustments in order to ensure that populations are equalized between the districts.
Our attention should now shift to the congressional district that we are located in, Minnesota’s 1st congressional district. This district sprawls across the southern border with Iowa and also includes the major cities of Mankato and Rochester as well as a great deal of farming communities. Despite the district’s decades long republican lean, our current Democratic governor Tim Walz held down the seat until he ran for governor.
With Tim Walz out of the seat it was flipped red by Jim Hagedorn who had two close calls against Democratic candidate Dan Feehan and also ran into ethics issues regarding his usage of campaign funds for private matters. It seemed likely that Jim Hagedorn would continue to hold down the 1st district for a long time to come, however, tragically, on February 17, Hagedorn passed away after a long battle with kidney cancer which left the seat vacant. In conjunction with Minnesota state law, Governor Walz called a special election for the 9th of August with primaries to occur on May 24th.
Naturally this is a big deal as vacancies occurring in the middle of a term are very rare and doubly so in districts that could be considered to be competitive. These kinds of elections are often used to gauge the political environment of the country at large such as when Georgia’s 6th congressional district became a flashpoint drawing in millions of dollars from both parties during the special election in 2017.
It is possible that the special election here in the 1st will play out the same way. Already there are major candidates lining up for both parties such as Jeremy Munson for the GOP, who proposed a bill to cede much of rural Minnesota to South Dakota, and Richard Painter, a former Bush administration official who switched parties for the Democrats. It is likely that even more significant candidates will enter the race, meaning that it is likely that Gusties could play a key role in deciding the candidates and even the potential winner of the race.
Of course, one issue that will arise is the fact that Gustavus isn’t actually in session during that period, with the academic year ending on May 17 which definitely would seemingly preclude Gusties from playing any serious role in the election. However, there are options for students who wish to participate in such an important political event taking place right on our doorstep. I was worried about being unable to vote in the special election until I had a productive conversation with Professor Kate Knutson about potential solutions to the issue. If, like me, you are registered to vote at your Gustavus address you can maintain that address over the summer and vote by mail in both the primary and special election. However, take care not to re-register at whatever address you go home to if you intend to vote using your Gustavus address, to do so would be actual voter fraud and is definitely illegal.
As a bit of a politics junkie, something like this happening, despite the unfortunate and tragic circumstances surrounding it, is interesting. I have spent a great deal of time following and studying special elections so to actually be able to participate in one is a very exciting prospect. I know some people might be skeptical about going out of their way to vote in an election whose results will be rendered essentially meaningless a couple months later in November and I will concede that there is a bit of logic in that point.
However, I believe that it is crucially important for us to exercise our right to vote considering how threatened democracy is becoming across the world. Speaking personally, I live in the 6th district of Minnesota which is one of the reddest districts in the state so voting here in the 1st District gives me an opportunity to participate in a competitive election which is an opportunity many Americans are sadly denied. So, if you’re in a situation similar to mine, or just wish to play a part in what will likely be one of the marquee races of 2022, consider voting in the special election for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district.