But this is Minnesota, where, to paraphrase Garrison Keillor, the people are above average, at least when it comes to election turnout.
Voting is too important to miss.
It's an attitude shared by many here, who each election day keep Duluth among American cities with the highest voter turnout. A simple explanation for the high participation rate is that Duluth is in Minnesota, one of the few states that allow voters to register on election day. When the maverick Jesse Ventura took the governorship two years ago in a late groundswell of enthusiasm, same-day registration allowed a lot of lapsed and new voters to turn out. The aerial lift bridge, above, dominates Duluth's cityscape. But a complete picture of high voter turnout in this mid-size city is far more nuanced.