Pre-registration and early voting make voting faster and more convenient!
Following the high primary turnout in August, the City of Minneapolis is reminding everyone that polling places may be very busy on Election Day. Voters can save time by planning ahead of the November 6 election.
Are you registered to vote? While people can register to vote at the polls, pre-registering makes voting on Election Day a faster process. Voters can check the status of their registrations at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/register. Anyone who has moved to a new address or had a name change since last registering will need to re-register. Voters who haven’t voted in the past four years also must re-register to vote this November.
People can pre-register online or fill out and mail in a registration application, which are available at government offices and the elections website. Pre-registration ends 21 days before the Nov. 6 election, so applications need to be submitted by Oct. 16.
Voters can register at the polls and vote on Election Day if they miss the pre-registration deadline. In Minnesota individuals may register at the polls on Election Day by providing one of the forms of identification required by Minnesota law. They will need to allow extra time at the polls to register. See the elections website for the list of identification required to register and vote on Election Day.
Starting now thru November 5 people can vote early by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 217 S. Third Street. Any voter can vote early; no reason is needed.
Early in-person voting at the Early Vote Center is convenient. It especially helps voters who need special accommodations, such as language support, that the extra time, attention and onsite resources of early in-person voting afford more readily than the polls might on the day of the election.
People who mail in a filled-out absentee ballot must allow enough time for delivery; it can take longer than seven days. Absentee ballot applications are available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/absentee.
What’s on the ballot? Minneapolis voters will cast ballots for the following races: U.S. Senator; U.S. Senator, special election; U.S. Representative (District 5); Governor/lieutenant governor; Attorney general; Minnesota State representative; County commissioner (districts 2, 3 and 4); County sheriff; County attorney; Minneapolis School Board (districts 1, 3, 5, and two at-large seats); Two school district funding questions; Referendum on an amendment to the City Charter; and Judicial offices, including the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and District Court – 4th Judicial District.
State law allows voters to bring materials into the polls to help complete their ballots — and the sample ballot is the single, best tool available for this purpose. By downloading and printing their sample ballots (which are customized to their specific ward and precinct), voters can practice marking their ballots. They can bring this marked-up sample ballot as a reference to the voting booth when completing their official ballots. This is the best way to reduce the time spent waiting in lines.
Election judges are needed for the general election to serve voters in local polling places. Election judges are paid $15.75 per hour for their service, which includes training. Serving as an election judge provides an opportunity to learn about the election process and is an important service to our community. Judges who are fluent in a second language – including Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Oromo, Lao, Vietnamese, Russian and American Sign Language – are especially needed to provide additional language support in the polling place.
Selection and placement of judges is based on qualifications of applicants and political party balance within the precinct. Preference will be given to those willing to serve a full day in a precinct with a vacancy.
The Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division is responsible for administering elections in the City of Minneapolis. For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis or to serve as an election judge, residents can visit vote.minneapolismn.gov or call 311 or 612-673-3000.