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One of the first major events of an active year on the political front takes place this week.
Grassrots politics takes center stage in Babbott, as well as across the state, with precinct caucuses.
Both major parties will gather in-person this year for their respective events at the Babbitt Senior Center in the city’s Municipal Building at 71 South Drive.
Gatherings for both Democrats and Republicans begin at 6:30 p.m. with registration for their respective events, with caucuses to convene at approximately 7 p.m. Local caucus events mark the start of the political process including the initiatives that will make up the platforms of both major parties, and the selection of candidates for offices including the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The caucuses were impacted by the Covid pandemic two years ago, with only Republicans meeting in person while Democrats held a “contactless” caucus.
Even prior to the pandemic, caucus gatherings in Babbitt have generally been sparsely attended. The grassroots events mark the start of an election year with attendees eligible to advance on as delegates to party nominating conventions at the district and state levels, and to submit resolutions for consideration for their respective party platforms.
The Democrat gathering in Babbitt is the next step prior to a county unit convention, which will be held in Ely, at Vermilion Community College, on March 23.
Democrats sent a press release in advance of their events, which included locations for other cacuses in the region.
Those include:
• MN North College, Vermilion Campus, 1900 E Camp St. (Ely, Morse, Winton Precincts and Unorganized Precincts 22, 24) Fall Lake Precinct, Lake County, will also be meeting at the Vermilion Campus.
• Babbitt Senior Center, 71 South Drive, Babbitt, (Babbitt Precinct and Unorganized Precinct 9);
• Embarrass Town Hall, 7503 Lavender Rd, Embarrass, (Kugler Precinct, Waasa Precinct, Unorganized Precinct 20);
