“I Voted”

What is red and sticky and shows up around that same time in November every couple years? The ever fashionable "I Voted" sticker of course! Each time a person casts a ballot he or she is presented with a sticker to proclaim taking advantage of Constitutional suffrage. Elections would cease to exist if nobody voted. So, how do people decide who to vote for anyways? In Minnesota's third district party identification plays a large part in how people vote.

Demographics in the third district are quite partial. Over eighty percent of the district's residences are white and over twenty-five percent make between $100,000 and $200,000 a year. According to these statistics it is not surprising that a Republican has held the Congressional seat since 1961. The New York Times Race Rating expects a "solid Republican" win along with the FiveThirtyEight Model predicting a 100 percent chance of Paulsen taking the Congressional seat once again¹.

These statistics also play a large role in a candidate's political ideology. Candidates are most responsive to the concerns of the people who are voting. In this particular district, where people are wealthier and predominantly white, candidates will have a better chance if they follow a more Republican ideological platform.

These facts are once again supportive of the strong lead Paulsen has over Meffert in the polls.





Statistics taken from http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/minnesota/3