A press release from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State:

A press release from the Minnesota Republican Party:

Republican Party of Minnesota Calls for Full Investigation of State Absentee Ballot Procedures

There's not a lot on the ballot this year.

But this is a big election year for Jordan Public Schools. You will elect four new Jordan School Board members, and you will decide whether to give as much as $550 per pupil unit to the district to maintain services and reduce class sizes.

There are a couple of good ways for voters to get educated about this year's local school board and referendum elections.

To anyone who turned his or her back on the ballot booth: I told you so.

Because the biggest argument against voting that's met my ears is "my vote doesn't matter. It's just one vote."

Good luck getting that to fly anytime in the next few years if you live in Minnesota.

If the Coleman-Franken contest has told us anything, it's that every vote does matter. This morning Franken's unofficial lead was 49 votes. Forty-nine. That's less people than most have as friends on Facebook or MySpace, if they have an account.

News organizations have been continually predicting high voter turnout for this election. What does that mean, exactly?

In Minnesota, it means that 70-plus percent of eligible voters will cast a ballot at the polls on Election Day. Historical voter turnout would be in excess of 80 percent, in my mind. In our state, voters haven't come out in that quantity since 1956.

It's the night before elections, and all through my mind, not a question is answered - I'm in quite a bind....

Sad to say that even now, less than a day before I'll cast my vote, I'm still not sure who I'm voting for. I've seen a number of political cartoons showing the candidates pounding down the door of the undecided voter and I've even heard a song joking with the idea of how frustrating we undecideds can be. But I'll be honest. I don't know.

Candidates for Jordan mayor poked a few barbs at each other. Nothing major.

The Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce's forum for mayoral and city council candidates ended on a positive note, with Mayor Ron Jabs and his opponents, Pete Ewals and Daniel Elke, shaking hands and mulling through the same crowds. 

But a half-hour earlier, when it was Jabs' turn to answer a question about the divisive issue of the impending upgrade to the intersection of highways 21 and 282, one of his opponents grabbed a second microphone and interrupted the mayor's answer.

Starting off the day today with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a bottle of Mountain Dew ...

It's been a long but also strangely restful weekend. I worked.

During elections, it's important for a newspaper to have a lot of consistency in its coverage. For the past few years, reporters for the Jordan Independent or other Southwest Newspapers have written a feature story about every candidate who represents the city of Jordan. I will be finishing up the task this week with features on each of your neighbors who are seeking mayoral and city council seats.

Welcome!

My name is Pete Ewals and I am running for Mayor of Jordan, Minnesota.

We invite you to join our campaign and assist me in this important endeavor. Please feel free to visit our website or contact me to share your thoughts and concerns.

Best wishes,
Pete Ewals

EMAIL: info@ewalsformayor.com

WEBSITE: http://www.ewalsformayor.com
Phone: 952-492-3435

Read the Jordan Independent for the most up-to-date election news.

I work every election night to provide you with the best information as soon as possible. I've been down to the city hall pretty much every day, for the express purpose of serving you with online updates of who's in the icy-hot mayoral and city council races. 

So you know where to go to get in the know.

Tonight, when the election results start trickling in, I'll be right here at my computer, waiting for the slightest word from our election officials.