On our game for an off-year election on Owatonna

One thing you can say about “off-year” elections: They’re not nearly as noisy as other election years. But that doesn’t mean they’re not important.

Last year, between the presidential election, the congressional election and the state legislative elections, we all were up to our ears with television and radio commercials, as well as the incessant chatter of the TV news talking heads, asking us to vote for Candidate A or telling us why Candidate B was a scoundrel who not only didn’t deserve to be in office but probably should be deported. And we were up to our eyes with fliers from various campaigns with more of the same campaign rhetoric. The only redeeming qualities to the stack that I could see to the fliers were at least they weren’t bills and they did come in handy when I wanted to start a fire.

Note: Expect more of the same next year. Heavy sigh.

However, this year — an odd-numbered year — means that we aren’t suffering from quite the same voter fatigue. Yes, there are elections going on here locally — for city council and school board here in Owatonna, for school board and an school operating levy in Blooming Prairie, and for a school operating levy in Ellendale — but it has been a much calmer, gentler year. And hasn’t that felt nice?

Yep, I’m always glad when another election cycle has come to an end.

That being said, I know that we, at the Owatonna People’s Press, will have an important role to play on Tuesday as people in Steele County try to find out information they’re not going to find anywhere else — news about the local elections. Though I’m longing for Tuesday to get here, I know that it will be a hectic day — and a hectic night — here in the newsroom. And the process we have gone through to get ready for it started weeks ago so that come Election Day, we will be ready to tell you what’s happening.

The real fun in the newsroom will begin Tuesday afternoon when our crew comes in. Yes, typically, the newsroom staff arrives in the morning to work on their stories. But that day, we know they are going to be working late into the night. Of course, if an emergency happens or other big news breaks — something that we have to be prepared for every day — then we’ll alter those plans.

By Tuesday evening, things will start to move quickly. After they’ve feasted on pizza — an Election Night tradition around most newsrooms — the reporters will be off to strategic locations to start gathering the information about who is leading in the local races — information that we will get to the public as quickly as we can get it out of the newsroom.

In past elections, people who followed local politics had few options for finding out who won. They could (a) go to the auditor’s office themselves to follow the returns; (b) call into the newspaper office — and we will get plenty of calls that night — to see what we’ve heard; or (c) wait until the next morning to read what the paper has to say.

We certainly don’t mind the phone calls that come in, though unfortunately we rarely have time for an extended chat. And, of course, we encourage folks to read the results in Wednesday’s paper. This year, as with last year, you will have another option — the Internet.

As reporters gather the latest numbers from any given race, they will relay those numbers to the newsroom. Those of us holed up back here will then get those tallies — including the number of precincts reporting — on our Web site, www.owatonna.com, as quickly as we can, usually a matter of minutes, so you can follow the election results at home, at your office or wherever you happen to have Internet access. As soon as we know something, you will know something.

All the while, we will be getting that information ready for Wednesday’s edition of the People’s Press, so that early Wednesday morning, over that first cup of coffee, you will be able to read the complete stories of the local ballot questions.

Yes, we will have a bit of fatigue in the early morning hours on Wednesday, but it will be a different type of election fatigue. It will be the fatigue that comes from covering big news and getting that news out to the people who want to know — to you the reader. It’s tiring, but it’s thrilling at the same time, and I wouldn’t want to be any other place.

Jeffrey Jackson is the managing editor of the Owatonna People’s Press. He can be reached at 444-2371 or jjackson@owatonna.com.

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Member Opinions: By: NoteTaker on 11/3/09 I was disappointed to not see anywhere in related articles in the OPP, at least that I could find, a link to a sample of today's ballot. Such a thing would've been helpful for some of us. (Go to http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/SAMPLE-BALLOT1.pdf to see it.) Nonetheless I look forward to the OPP coverage and the results. Thanks to all those at the OPP who will do their job of reporting on today's election with integrity and accuracy. By: Missy on 11/3/09 "People rely on the paper" - yes, we suppose for local news, obituaries and such they do. However, during this important eletion period we also relied on "the paper" to print letters that were submitted to the editor and/or readers write. The OPP dropped the ball last week by not printing several LTOE regarding this election - for several of the candidates - not just one or two. A good part of these letters were turned in at the very begining of the press week - with confimation from OPP personnel that the letters would be passed on/printed. Perhaps, during their hard work covering the election tonight - they may also explain why the did not print the LTOE and/or Readers Write submissions during the week prior to such an election that is - although on an "off year election" still very important to the majority of city voters. By: Thuljunior on 11/5/09 Maybe Mr Jackson could address how letters are chosen during an election during a future column?
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