Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Will Luther College students get to vote in the May 1st municipal electric utility referendum?"

(Braden e-mails: "Do Luther College students get to vote in the May 1st Municipal Electric Utility referendum?"):

Mr. Answer Person says: "The answer to your question is 'yes.'  'Yes' is also the answer to the question 'Will people living inside the Decorah city limits who are NOT Alliant customers get to vote May 1st?" and "Will Alliant customers living outside the city limits who may become customers of a new municipal electric utility NOT get to vote?"

I'd like to also address the unwritten part of your question: 'Isn't that unfair?'  Again, the answer is 'yes.'

The important part, however, is how to react to this unfairness.  You can complain about the unfairness, but do nothing--certainly the easier approach--or you can do some campaigning among the people who CAN vote on May 1st for whatever position you support--either keeping Alliant Energy or switching to a Decorah municipal electric utility. 

So if you're worried about a mass invasion of Luther College students heading to the polling places to vote in favor of an electric utility they won't be customers of, then make sure they know your arguments in support of Alliant Energy.  If you're in support of a municipal electric utility, you're not breaking any law by trying to persuade Luther students to go to the polls May 1st to vote in favor of a municipal electric utility.

In short, this is how democracy works--so get to work getting out the vote for whichever side you support!"