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Minnesota to hold caucus
BY SARA JOCHEMS & LISA KUNKEL
STATESMAN STAFF WRITERS
ISSUE: 78/18
The 2008 Minnesota Caucus is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 5. “The purpose of the caucuses is to select the presidential candidate for both parties: DFL and Republican,” said UMD political science professor Uisoon Kwon. “Super Tuesday,” as it has been dubbed within the political community, takes place only for a limited amount of time.
“You can cast your vote between 6:30 p.m. and 7:59 p.m.,” said sophomore and MPIRG member Justin Hauschild. “If you arrive at 8 p.m., you won’t be able to vote.” Those in the running are Democrats Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel and Barack Obama. Republicans are Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul and Willard Romney, according to wcco.com.
Hauschild stressed that anyone who is 18 years of age or older is eligible to vote. Kwon said that though the caucuses are only the first step in narrowing down the presidential candidates, they still play a large role. “It is important,” he said. “And, this is the very first year the caucus is going to be held in February.”
According to the Minnesota DFL Web site, any Minnesotan can participate at the precinct caucus as long as the are eligible to vote by Nov. 4, 2008. “I will definitely be voting in the caucus, and I urge everyone else to do the same,” Hauschild said.
Caucus locations may be found by using the Minnesota election caucus finder at http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/. Voters can also call the DFL headquarters at (651) 293-1200 or toll free at (800) 999-7457 to find your caucus location.
