How To Register To Vote In Stearns County, Minnesota

With the election less than 3 week away I was joined by Stearns County Elections Division Director Laura Laudenbach and Stearns County Elections Supervisor Roxanne Gerads.

Election Process 3 Weeks Before the Election

Laudenbach says they are currently getting precincts ready with supplies and ballots. Gerads says early voting will change from using envelopes to direct voting, which means they will use machines starting Friday, October 16 at the Stearns County Service Center and at St. Cloud City Hall.

How to Keep Non-Citizens from Voting

Laudenbach says in Minnesota when someone registers to vote they need to prove who they and where they live. She says when people are entered into the system they have numerous checks. Laudenbach explains that when someone registers to vote they are signing an oath that they are a U.S. citizen and 18 years of age or older. She says if this information is falsified they will be held to criminal penalties which include a fine of up to $10,000 and 5 years in prison. Laudenbach says there have been 10 non-citizen individuals who voted in Minnesota out of 8,500,000 people who voted. She says this is a very small percentage of non-citizens attempting to vote in Minnesota.

Rules when Registering to Vote

When registering to vote, you can prove who you are by showing your driver's license with a current address. If the driver's license is expired or they have moved from out of state and the address doesn't match up, Laudenbach says they can prove residence with a bank statement, electric bill, or lease agreement.

Election Judge Training

All election judges go though a 2-hour online training with election clerks and head judges going through an additional in person training. Gerads says every election judge must go through the training before each election.

What Becomes of Early Voting Ballots

Gerads says those who've already voted early had their ballot put into envelopes. She says starting Friday they can start processes those ballots through the election machines. The results won't be tabulated from any of the early voting ballots until 8pm on election day. Gerads says they cannot post any election results until all day of and early voting ballots are in place. She says election results for the county are typically completely posted prior to midnight on election day.

Early Voting Options in Stearns County

Early voting can take place in Stearns County in a variety of locations which include the Stearns County Service Center in Waite Park and St. Cloud City Hall from 8am-4:30pm weekdays. Seven days before the election direct voting will be available (Oct 27- Nov 2) with all ballots in Melrose and Paynesville and Municipal ballots only in Sauk Centre, Cold Spring, Paynesville, St. Augusta, St. Joseph and Sartell. Stearns County is also offering extended hours Saturday, October 24 from 9am - 3pm, Tuesday October 27 from 8am-7pm, Saturday, October 31 from 9am-3pm, Sunday November 1 from 9am-3pm and Monday November 2 from 8am-5pm. Voting at polling places will be available from 7am-8pm on election day.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Laura and Roxanne, Click below.