Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
  • Build your ballot before voting. Print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.

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Voter Guide

Olmsted County Commissioner District 6 (Special Election)

The county s key policymakers who ensure that citizen concerns are met, federal and state requirements are fulfilled, and county operations run smoothly. County Commissioners oversee the administration of the county, set the county budget, and participate in county long-range planning. Services that they oversee include a wide variety of social service and welfare programs as well as certain public health programs and capital improvements. Learn more about the day in the life of a county commissioner in this video from the Association of Minnesota Counties. (https://www.mncounties.org/meetings_and_education/day_in_the_life_of_a_minnesota_county_commissioner.php)A candidate forum for this race is available at https://youtu.be/JUPjy6-GMCE?si=xgRimxNmmB7FWxHZ. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Tawonda Burks
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Bob Hopkins
    (NP)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

How would you ensure election laws do not create barriers to Minnesotans’ freedom to vote while also ensuring safe and secure elections? (500 characters)

What do you see as the biggest challenges to mental health and social services in your county, and how would you address them? (500 characters)

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Campaign Website http://www.tawondaburks.com
Contact Phone 507-990-7223
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559229368262
Campaign Email burks.tawonda01@gmail.com
If elected to represent Olmsted County District 6, my top priorities will be driving bold economic growth, ensuring affordable housing for all, and expanding access to comprehensive healthcare. Economic growth is essential to create high-quality jobs, strengthen local businesses, and attract new industries that will fuel long-term prosperity. Housing for all is a basic right—everyone deserves access to safe, affordable homes that provide stability and security. Expanding healthcare access is critical to ensure every resident can receive the care they need, without financial or geographic barriers. Together, these priorities will create a more vibrant, equitable community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
To protect Minnesotans' freedom to vote while ensuring secure elections, I will champion policies that expand access and safeguard integrity. Automatic voter registration, expanded early voting, and secure vote-by-mail options will make voting more accessible. At the same time, we will enforce stringent security measures, including state-of-the-art voting technology, audits, and rigorous oversight, ensuring elections are both accessible and fully protected from fraud or interference.
The biggest challenges to mental health and social services in Olmsted County are the severe shortage of providers and the complexity of navigating services. To address this, I will push for expanding the workforce through strong incentives to attract and retain professionals. I will also advocate for overhauling the system to make it easier for residents to access care without delay. Coordinating efforts across agencies will be key to ensuring seamless, effective support for those in need.
Campaign Website http://www.bobhopkins.org
Contact Phone 5077019798
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558603473119
Campaign Twitter Handle @hopkins4olmsted
Campaign Email rphopkins@verizon.net
My top three priorities are Responsible Growth, Affordable Housing, and Public Safety. Responsible Growth – I will work to ensure that investments are made responsibly and in ways that enhance public trust and financial accountability. Affordable Housing – My goal is to address the housing shortage in the greater Rochester area so that people can afford to live and work in Olmsted County. Public Safety – I plan to build on the considerable efforts of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s office to enable a responsive and effective law enforcement presence in our community.
This year Gov. Tim Walz signed the Minnesota Voting Rights Act (MNVRA) into law. The new law provides important protections for Minnesota voters. I support this legislation and will endorse its full implementation in Olmsted County.
I believe the biggest challenges to providing mental health and social services in Olmsted County is engagement and access. The county does an excellent job of providing services to those residents who are referred or otherwise knowledge of the services available, but it is a considerable challenge to reach those who do not know that services are available to them and do not have the means to access those services. More engagement is needed to reach these residents.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.