Vote Tuesday!

When and where should I vote?
You should vote at your regular polling place (if you haven’t moved it should be the same place you voted in the last election, but you need to check to make sure it hasn’t been changed). Look up you polling place here. Polling places should be open from 7 am until 8 pm. As long as you arrive by 8 you should be allowed to vote even if there is a line.

Some polling places might have parking for voters but don’t count on it (even if there is some it might be taken) and all polling places are required to be accessible. If you expect either of these to be an issue giving yourself additional time is a good idea you can also contact your county if you have additional questions. (See earlier links on how to contact your county’s election office.)

Who can I vote for?
This will give you your voting location and at the bottom there should be a link that lists all of the people who will be on your ballot.

It is not what a ballot will look like but is a list of all the candidates and seats that are going to be on the ballot in your area.

You can get an actual sample ballot at your local county unit search google if this search doesn’t turn up your county simply add in the name of your county. You can also get to your county’s main website directly here.

Everyone in Minnesota will have the same list of candidates for most of the statewide and federal offices so if your county doesn’t provide sample ballots (Ramsey County) you can go and check out another county’s ballot (Hennepin County) for the top portion that will be similar. Your congressional information will be different as will any statewide legislative seat but you can still get a good idea of what it will look like.

You can print out a sample ballot and actually check off who you want to vote for ahead of time. You won’t be able to turn that sheet of paper but this will be an open test and you can use your notes.

Other offices
Depending on where you live you may have additional races in a nonpartisan ballot. Some of these types of seats are County Commissioners, Sheriff, Park Board, Judicial Seat, Soil and Water and County Attorney. These seats will only be on the ballot if there are more than two people running for them.

In these races you only get to vote for one person but they can be from any party (and it will not list their party affiliation on the ballot so it’s good to give a little research to them if only to make sure that you aren’t voting for someone who is opposed to everything you are for.)

The top two candidates from each of these races will go on to the ballot in November.

The primary election gives you a chance to get out there and support your favorite candidates early with a simple action (big turn outs mean big media stories, big donations, and big talk so your vote can make a big difference).

Traditionally primaries also mark the point at which candidates with primary challengers will be shifting their focus to grab the general voting public.

You don’t get to do write in votes in the primary, you can only vote for people already on the ballot.

Can I vote?
Anyone who is a registered voter can vote in the primaries. You can register on election day as long as you meet these requirements:

• at least 18 years of age
• a US citizen
• a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days before the election
• not a convicted felon without your civil rights
• not under guardianship of the person where you have not retained the right to vote
• not legally incompetent

and bring these:

• Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, identification card, or receipt for one, with your current address
• Tribal ID
• If the Minnesota license, Tribal ID or MN State ID has a former address, you may bring a recent utility bill to use with your license
• “Notice of Late Registration