“Minnesota’s distinctiveness [is] the result of an unusually vibrant civic culture, one in which citizens engage in widespread discourse and action on matters of common interest.” -Nina Archabal, Director, Minnesota Historical Society [1]

Through the first half of 2009, scenes of civic life in the fictitious Lake Wobegon, famous across the nation for their depictions on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion public radio show, gave way to a flood of national news stories about the recount of the senate election. The 2008 election pitted the incumbent Republican Norm Coleman against the Democrat Al Franken. And it continued until June 30, when Governor Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie signed the certificate declaring Franken to be the winner. “Minnesotans love elections so much they never want them to end,” quipped one comedian. As contending camps drew the headlines – and late night comedy lines -- a nonpartisan story of civic effort took shape behind the scenes. Thousands of citizens worked across party lines to ensure a fair and thorough recount of contested ballots.

The recount followed a year of enormous political activity on behalf of Democratic, Republican and also minor party candidates. “We had thousands of volunteers in last year’s election,” said Ben Golnik, Midwestern director of the John McCain presidential campaign. In his view, response to the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate illustrated the state’s populist civic traditions. “All through the summer we had about 100 people sign up each day to volunteer. When she was announced, the figure shot up to 1,000 a day. The energy and enthusiasm was infectious. For a lot of people she was a regular person, not a career politician, but someone who came out of the grassroots. People saw themselves in her.” [2] Jeff Blodgett, director of Barack Obama’s Minnesota campaign, similarly saw the campaign as a sign of grassroots civic life. “We had 15,000 active volunteers. Technology was important but only a tool to make virtual people real. A lot of people got involved for the first time, and the process was a real education.” [3]

Elections are like an island of civic activity in the state, peeking out from a mountain range below the ocean’s surface.

Civic activity takes many forms. The America’s Civic Health Index sponsored by the National Conference on Citizenship observes that civic engagement performs many functions. It develops our collective skills to meet challenges and address problems, reaffirms our civic and democratic values, and strengthens our social bonds.

In addition to being participants in civic life, Minnesotans see themselves as active producers of a civic culture as well. Many observe that this goes against the grain of a consumer society.
Ted Kolderie is former director of the Citizens League, a Twin Cities civic association which pioneered many of the reforms that produced what Newsweek called “The Minnesota Miracle.” He said a distinctive feature of the state is people’s sense of it being a work in progress: “This place is made.” [4] Timothy DenHerder-Thomas shares a similar view. He came to Macalester College in St. Paul in 2005 from the East Coast. Back in his home town, he explained, “People tend to think of themselves as consumers of society. And young people feel they don’t have any agency. Things just happen.” When he visited Macalester on a college tour he liked the academic excellence and international atmosphere. But a more intangible quality was most appealing. “Minnesota seemed to me like an active community. People actually treat things as if they can shape them, rather than react.” Tim jumped into the renewable energy movement, linking college activities to the larger community. [5]

Productive citizenship builds civic confidence, ownership in civic life and public goods, motivation, and civic muscle -- a sense of empowerment. Minnesotans express such citizenship in many ways. None has been more important than the strong commitment of the state’s citizens to the ongoing public work of creating a world-class system of education, both formal and informal.

One of the first acts of the state legislature when it opened in 1858, just after statehood, was the creation of a normal school in Winona to train teachers. In 1866 Olson H. Kellogg founded the National Grange of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, a semi-secret society among farmers, women as well as men, which organized cooperatives and sparked a nation-wide self-education movement among farmers aimed at the social and intellectual enrichment of rural life. In the 1920s and 1930s, eleven settlement houses in the Twin Cities helped immigrants integrate their talents and cultures into American society, and became models of learning experiences woven into the fabric of the community. The state pioneered in early childhood parent education, community education, and community service programs, and created the nation’s first charter school. Thirty-two colleges and universities are in the state system, while the University of Minnesota has five campuses. More than twenty private colleges and universities flourish in the state, including several ranked among the nation’s finest private colleges. The state has the most educated citizenry in the country, first in the percentage with a high school education and just over 60% of the adult population with some college.

With such foundations, Minnesota showed civic resilience in a year when much of the nation saw a sharp drop in civic effort. These are the highlights:
1st in voter turnout, with 77.8 % of those eligible voting, 14.2% higher than the national average.
1st in citizen consciousness of having a “strong civic tradition,” with 26.5 % saying it is strong compared to other states, compared to 13.2% for the national average.
3rd in donations to charitable organizations, with 60.2% donating $25 or more.
4th in statewide volunteering, with 60.5% volunteering in the last year.
6th in working with others to fix something in the neighborhood, with 12.4%.

The sharp economic downturn of 2008 negatively affected civic involvement in Minnesota as in other states. But the state weathered the crisis differently than most.
72.2% nationally said they had cut back in volunteering; in Minnesota the figure was 58.6%
41.4% of Minnesotans said they had increased volunteering – compared to 27.8% for the nation as a whole. There are also other signs of positive response to the difficulties:
40.3% reported being involved in community discussions about the effects of the economic recession.
50.9% of Minnesotans say they would be willing to “work less” if doing so would create more jobs for those who are unemployed.
53% Almost 53% say they are willing to volunteer more.

Initiatives for Civic Change
Minnesotans support a variety of policies for strengthening civic involvement and reinvigorating “the Minnesota Miracle” of education tied to civic life:
86.4% believe that young people should be able to earn money for college through community service projects.
80.8% believe that young people should be required to do community service in higher school.
71% believe that students in high school need to pass a new civics test.

On a more personal level
43.7% support training opportunities to learn skills as part of volunteer activities.
15.3% value the opportunity to learn and to be challenged as the first priority for their career, while 9.3% of Minnesotans seek to make a “public benefit” as the first priority. The quarter of the population who prize civic and educational aspects of jobs contrasts to 18.7% for the nation as a whole.

Strengthening productive citizenship through reconnecting education and communities
A promising long term strategy is also appearing for civic renewal in Minnesota. There are multiple new efforts to reconnect education and communities; Minnesota is taking national leadership in a new movement to make education the responsibility of whole communities again, not simply professional educators. As in the past, civic life in the 21st century will depend on such civic education anchored in the life of communities.