By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Last week, Minnesota’s top election official, Secretary of State Steve Simon, made several stops around Northfield. During the last few election cycles, colleges in Minnesota, including St. Olaf and Carleton, have been working to increase student voter turnout, and on Wednesday, Simon presented St. Olaf with the Democracy Cup. The award recognizes St. Olaf for having the highest voting rate of any college in Minnesota in the last election. St. Olaf has also won awards this year nationally for having the highest voting rate from more than 500 colleges nationwide.
Simon stated, “This campus has really been a leader — not just in voting, but in civic engagement. In Minnesota, we vote consistently in really large numbers. And you blew the rest of Minnesota out of the water.
Picture Credit: St. Olaf College
Simon presented the award to Professor of Political Science Chris Cahpp and Academic Civic Engagement Program Director Alyssa Melby, who lead the college’s voter engagement work, including 120 election ambassadors.
Simon then traveled to Carleton College for a panel discussion about “all voting is local.” Also on the panel discussion included Rice County Commissioner Galena Malecha, Northfield City Councilor Davin Sokup, and State Representative Kristi Pursell. The speakers discussed their work and why local politics matters in people’s day-to-day lives.
The Secretary of State ended his tour with a visit to Arcadia Charter School, where he talked about the importance of voting. Simon highlighted Minnesota law, which allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. In a statement, Arcadia’s Executive Director Laura Stelter expressed appreciation for Simon’s vision, stating, “We are grateful to Secretary Simon for visiting our school and inspiring our students. His insights are invaluable as we prepare the next generation of engaged citizens.”
