There is usually a flurry of questions as every election time approaches:
- Am I registered to vote?
- I’ve never voted before so how and where do I register?
- Where do I go to vote?
- What if I want to vote early? How do I do it?
- Which candidates will be on my ballot?
- So . . . where do I call? How can I find the answers I need?
Well, please do not worry. Those questions – and more – are easily answered on one of the niftiest websites ever devised. It’s called mnvotes.org, which is the official site for the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. The website is a kind of one-stop shop for anything to do with elections anywhere in the state.
Its categories included “Register to Vote, “Election Day Voting,” “Other Ways to Vote,” “What’s on my Ballot?,” “Election Results” and more.
Unlike so many confusing websites, mnvotes.org is extremely well organized and incredibly user friendly, with easy-to-understand, step-by-step directions. For example, to register to vote, simply click on “Register to Vote.” You will see requirements for eligibility and information you will need. If you don’t want to register via email, that’s fine; the site tells you how to register with a paper application that can be downloaded. One can even register right at your polling place the day of the election, and the mnvotes.org website tells you what kinds of information to bring along with you.
OK, let’s say you want to register online. You will need your Minnesota driver’s license number or Minnesota identification number. If you don’t have either of those, that’s fine; you can use the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Scroll down and begin to answer a simple series of questions. And presto! You’re done. You’re registered.
By following a similar process, you can easily find out where your polling place will be located on Election Day, which will be Tuesday, Nov. 8, for this presidential election year. And it’s just as easy to find out who and what will be on your ballot, so you can mull over and research your options before voting.
This is the first year in Minnesota for early voting, which used to be known as absentee voting. Previously, someone who would not be able to get to a polling place on election day could request an absentee ballot to be filled out and turned in before the day of the election. Typically, that method would be an option for people who would be out of town on election day or for shut-ins who couldn’t physically get to the polls.
But now, thanks to an early-voting law, people don’t need any excuse or reason other than simply wanting to cast votes early. The mnvotes.org website explains how to vote early via mail or in person. Early voting is allowed during a 46-day period before election day. For this election season, it began Sept. 23.
Thanks to the excellent mnvotes.org website, there is no longer any reason to be confused about any aspect of voting. And the morning after the election, just click on that site, go to “Election Results,” and you will see precinct by precinct voting totals for any city and county in the state.
Remember the name and then use it: mnvotes.org. It’s the niftiest, handiest, most useful website imaginable.
