While the presidential election will make the most headlines, this year’s ballot consists of many key federal and state elections.
Voting can be done in person on Nov. 5 or by mail-in ballot, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
Secretary of State Steve Simon said the ballot varies from place to place, but the common elections all Minnesotans will share are the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the Minnesota House of Representatives, ballot amendment, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals and Minnesota State District Court.
Minneapolis’ ballot specifically contains races for the presidency, U.S. Senate, U.S. House District 5 and state House District 60B, as well as the school board, state Supreme Court justices and Courts of Appeals judges, according to the MNVotes website.
With so many decisions on the ballot, Simon said it is okay not to know everything.
“Vote for what you know and feel perfectly free to leave the rest blank,” Simon said. “Your ballot is just as good. It’s not spoiled just because you don’t vote in every contest.”
Riley Hetland, director of civic engagement for Undergraduate Student Government (USG) at the University of Minnesota, said students are narrow-minded when they think about voting, and it is important to research every election on the ballot.
“A lot of people think it’s going to be a two-name ballot with our presidential race, but they forget to really look and kind of understand and do proper research that students do look down the ballot to our local and state elections,” Hetland said.
Hetland said policymakers do not gear their policies toward college students, but she hopes USG’s Row the Vote will encourage students to pay greater attention to the ballot and politics in general.
“It’s really important that college students do take notice of what policymakers are adequately representing college students because a lot of the time they don’t really make policies for us,” Hetland said.
Republican candidate for State House District 60B Abigail Wolters, who is running against incumbent DFL Rep. Mohamud Noor, said she is targeting University students through door-knocking and putting herself out to students as a 2021 University graduate. District 60B covers Dinkytown, Como, Marcy-Holmes, East and West Bank, and Prospect Park.
Wolters said it is important for students to understand the cruciality of local elections.
“Local elections and local politics might and should have more impact on your life than federal,” Wolters said.
Hetland said if students live within 10 miles of campus, the University verifies students’ addresses for them, so they only need to bring their student identification card to register to vote on election day. If students live over 10 miles from campus, an official identification, along with proof of residency, is needed.
Simon said he urges people with questions about their ballot to go to MNvotes.gov.
“A frequent question I get all over the state is people who say ‘Hey, everyone who has a pulse knows there’s a presidential election going on, but what else is up in my area,’” Simon said.
To find your personalized ballot, type your address into the website and a sample ballot will show every contest and candidate within, Simon added.
The Weisman Art Museum is hosting a Voterpalooza on Oct. 22 to allow students to vote early and educate themselves on the election.
“It’s super important that people educate themselves on what their ballot’s going to look like and understand that it’s not just a two-person election,” Hetland said.