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The Not Yet Gazette is a fictional newspaper showing one possible future. The stories in the paper reflect major demographic trends projected for Minnesota.

Election Shows Voters Divided, Muhammed's Coalition on Thin Ice

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Results of last week's elections demonstrate that Minnesota voters are just as confused and fickle as ever, most political analysts agree. Pensions, taxes and environmental issues continue to divide the electorate.

The shaky political coalition of Governor Sheriff Abdul Muhammed held up just enough for him to be re-elected by a margin of a mere 0.1 percent. Strong support from residents of Metroplex inner cities and inner suburbs, as well as rural areas; poor pensioners; and environmental conservatives carried Muhammed to his razor-thin victory. He was also supported by business backers of his proposals for closer economic integration with Manitoba. Political analysts say that his success may also be attributed to the newly reduced terms of office for governors and city officials. Voters may feel that three years, instead of four, are not long enough.

Low turnout by ElderDorm residents narrowed the margin between Muhammed and his challenger, Tracy Wagner, who was strongly favored by the more affluent elderly.

Meanwhile, in one of the most hotly contested municipal races in recent years, Jeff Vue defeated two rivals to be elected mayor of Roseville. Deer control was the major issue in the election. Vue, who supported collaboration with animal control agencies in neighboring communities, received 39 percent of the vote. Tyler Wahlberg, an advocate of letting armed citizen militias shoot deer on sight, got 34 percent of the vote. Animal Rights Party activist Traci Lynn Carpenter proposed a ban on harming deer and suggested installing feeding stations so the deer would not eat residents' shrubs and garden plants. She won 26 percent of the vote. (Trends: aging, concentration in metropolitan regions, slower growth, rising dependency ratio)

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