Saturday, October 27, 2012

Last-Minute Election Information

If you’ve suddenly realized that you’re not quite prepared for the upcoming elections, your friendly local librarians are ready to help you out. Except where it’s noted otherwise, all of the following information comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State's web page.


Register to vote in Minnesota
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=204


Find your polling place
http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/


Need a ride to your polling place?
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=1631


Interested in absentee voting?
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=211


Need to know how to return your absentee ballot?
According to the MN Secretary of State, there are four ways you can return your absentee ballot:
1.   Mail back your ballot in the pre-paid envelope provided by your local election official.
2.   Up until 5 p.m. on the day before the election, you may deliver your ballot in person to your local election official.
3.   You may also have someone else return your completed ballot, sealed in its envelope, to your local election official until 3 p.m. on Election Day. Persons delivering ballots may not do so for more than three voters.
4.  If you are worried about your ballot not arriving on time using First Class mail, you may choose to pay for package delivery service to return your ballot. Ballots must be received by your local election official by 3 p.m. on Election Day.


Find your local election official
(which will also tell you where you can submit an absentee ballot):
https://minnesota.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/MN-ElectionOfficialDirectory


Find out which candidates and issues you’ll see on your ballot
http://myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us/Default.aspx


Interested in Political Fact-Checking?
http://www.factcheck.org/ (a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” organization
http://www.politifact.com/ (a project of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper)


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about elections and voting
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=1530


Wondering about other voting and election topics that you don't see here? http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=134  (Main page for Minnesota Voting Info)



As always, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to contact your local ECRL library branch (http://www.ecrlib.org/branches.html). We're happy to help you find the information you need!

Robin Duple
Branch Librarian, Pine City Public Library

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