Voting Early and Absentee
When We Vote Early We Win BIG
Minnesota Voter Demographics
• In 2008 Minnesota had the highest voter turn
out in the country for the presidential
election.
• Minnesota’s voter turnout is on the decline
• Nationally, the 14’ midterm election had the
lowest voter turn out in 70 years
• With a NY times congressional approval rating
of 12% it is more important to vote than ever
• We can do better
Excuses, excuses
• There is NO excuse to not vote in the next
election
• Not registered? No problem
• Can’t get off work/school? No problem
• Hate crowds? No problem
• Hate waiting? No problem
• Make your vote count
How to vote absentee in Person
• You can request, receive, and cast an absentee ballot in
ONE visit to your local county election office.
• Starting 46 DAYS before the day of any election (except
for town elections in march 30 days)you may vote at
your county election office:
– In person Monday-Friday during normal business hours.
– Saturday before the election (10am-3pm).
– The day before the election (until 5pm).
• When voting in person county election staff is there to
help you every step of the way
Day of Registration
• If you are not registered to vote you will be able
to register when you go into the county election
office
• To register you will need proof of Minnesota
residence at the election office. Valid ID options:
– ID with current name & address, Relevant Utility bill
(with name & address), College ID, or check the
Secretary of State’s website for more options
Voting by mail
• If you don’t want to go person to vote you can
vote absentee
• You can absentee vote by mail or even have
someone pick it up and drop it off up for you
• Absentee ballots are available starting 46 days
before the day of any election
• Members of the military and citizens living
outside of the United States use a different
process to vote absentee
How to absentee vote by mail
• First you must fill out an Absentee Ballot
Application and submit it to your local election
official by mail, email, or fax
• Minnesota is a no-excuse state so you do not
need a reason to qualify for absentee voting.
• The application is online and is available at
county election offices
• To find contact information on election officials
use the Election Official Directory on DFL.org or
the Secretary of state’s website
Receiving your Ballot
• The ballot will be sent to you as soon as it is
available
– If you apply in advance you will receive you ballot
46 days in prior to the election
• When you receive your ballot you must follow
the enclosed instructions. You will need a pen,
a witness, and, if you are not registered, proof
of Minnesota residency
When you get your ballot
• You will need a witness to sign the ballot
– The witness will sign the ballot to verify that the ballot
was blank and not tampered with
– The witness will also verify that the ballot was marked
in private
• The witness must be a resident of Minnesota OR
if they are not a resident of Minnesota they must
be a Notary
• If the ballot is not signed by the witness it will
not be counted
Registration by Mail
• If you are not registered you will receive
registration materials along with your
absentee ballot
• You must show your witness your proof of
Minnesota residency. Options for proof are:
– ID with current name & address, Relevant Utility
bill (with name & address), College ID, or check
the Secretary of State’s website for more options
Filling Out your Ballot
• Vote!
– Show the witness the blank ballot
– Follow the instructions on the ballot
– Do NOT write your name or ID anywhere on the
ballot
– Do NOT vote for more candidates than allowed
• Seal your ballot in the tan ballot envelope
– Do not write on this envelope
Filling Out your Ballot
• Put the tan ballot inside of the white signature
envelope
• Fill out the white signature envelope
completely
– If there is no label, print your name and your
Minnesota address
– Read and sign the oath
– Ask the witness to sign their name and write their
Minnesota street address
Filling Out your Ballot
• Fill out the white signature envelope completely
– Seal the envelope
– Be sure that the name and the number match what
you put on your absentee application
• Put the white signature envelope in the larger
white return envelope.
• Confused? Your question may be in the
directions, otherwise contact your local election
official's office
Returning your Ballot
• Return you ballot to your local election
official as soon as possible
• Your ballot must be received by the local
election official by election day or it will not
be counted
• There multiple different methods of returning
your ballot
Returning your Ballot
• There are 4 different way you can return you
ballot:
1) Return the ballot in the prepaid envelope
• The ballot must arrive on (before 8 pm)/before election
day to be counted
2) Deliver the ballot in person
• The ballot must be presented to the election official
prior to 3 pm on the day of the election
Returning your Ballot
3) Someone else may return your ballot
• Must be delivered to the election official before 3 pm
ON election day
• If you are delivering ballots you may only deliver up to
3 different ballots.
4) You may pay for package delivery
• Election official must receive the package before 8 pm
on election day
• You may track the status of your vote using
the absentee ballot lookup tool on
mnvotes.org
Mistakes
• If you made a mistake in the process of filling
out your ballot you can fix it.
• Simply request a new ballot from the County
Election Office
• If you make the mistake 14 days before the
election you should completely cross out the
candidate’s name you chose and mark the
ballot for the candidate you prefer
Locations
• To determine where you can get an absentee
application for mail in voting you should go to
the DFL website precinct finder to find a local
election official
• To find a local election office to vote in person
go to the DFL’s website and use the precinct
finder to find a local election office
Advantages
• Avoid waiting and crowds
• Register and vote in the comfort of your own
home on your own time
• Don’t have to get off of work/school
• People who are homebound/elderly can still have
their voices hear
• When voting early in person you can get help
from county election office staff
• EVERY VOTE COUNTS
Summary
• To vote in person:
– Find your city or county election office
• Open Monday-Friday
– In one visit register and cast an absentee ballot
– If you are not registered
• bring proof of Minnesota residency to the election
office (options found online)
• Confused? No problem local election office
staff will help guide you through the process
Summary
• To mail in your vote:
– Request an absentee ballot from local election
official
– Receive a Ballot (and registration materials if
applicable)
– Get a witness (MN resident or Notary)
• Need Proof of residency to register with witness
– Follow instructions
– Return it to the election official
– Ballot must be received before election day
Summary
• If you go in to absentee vote in person
election office staff will be able to guide you
through the process
• If you have any questions at home you can call
the secretary of state’s office or your local
election office with questions
• Reading the instructions front and back is
important for all voters
Students Voting
• Student out-of-state can vote absentee in
Minnesota elections or vote in the state they
currently live
• A college student is allowed to vote wherever
they call “home”
• If you are not a resident of Minnesota but you
attend college in Minnesota you can vote in
Minnesota Elections and vice versa.
• Students should know the implications of
declaring residency in a different state
Prepaid by the Minnesota DFL Party, Ken Martin, Chair. www.DFL.org Not
authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee