Source: Secretary of State, Election Division
Document: 1994 Minnesota Voters' Guide
E-Released by MN E-Democracy: 9/7/94

1994 MINNESOTA VOTERS' GUIDE

                                         "The Great Seal of the
                                        State of Minnesota - 1858"
                                           "L'Etoile Du Nord"

Produced by the Secretary of State,
Election Division

Why should you vote?

Who decides what taxes you must pay?
Who decides what your children learn at school?
Who decides how criminals are punished?
Who decides what public services you receive?
Who decides when to use the armed forces?

You decide... but only if you vote!

What's happening in '94?

Several top offices are up for election this fall. Federal Offices:

U.S. Senator
U.S. Representative (all districts)

State Offices:

State Representative (all districts)
Governor & Lt. Governor
Secretary of State
State Auditor
State Treasurer
Attorney General
State judges (selected seats)

Local Offices

County Commissioner (1/2 of all districts)
County Sheriff
County Attorney
Other County Offices

There will also be a proposed constitutional amendment to vote on in November. See the section regarding the Constitutional Amendment for more information.

When are the elections?

The state primary will be held on Tuesday, September 13. The state general election will be held on Tuesday, November 8.

Who can vote?

You can vote if you are:

18 or older
a U.S. citizen
a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days before the election
not a convicted felon without civil rights
not under guardianship of the person
not legally incompetent

So how do I vote?

Voting's incredibly easy for something so powerful. here's how it works.

1) Register. See the section More about voter registration.
2) On election day, go to your polling place. You will be asked for your name, address and birthdate. If you're on the list of voters, you will be asked to sign. You'll then get a Voter's Receipt.
3) Trade the Voter's Receipt for a ballot. An election judge will show you how to mark your choices on the ballot. You can ask for help with reading or marking the ballot if you like. After you vote, take your ballot to the ballot box.
4) Remember, while you're in or near the polling place, you should not do any campaigning and not talk to anyone about who to vote for. Your choice is private!

But I have to work...

Minnesota law allows you to take time off from work to vote during the morning of the state primary and state general election. The idea is to encourage people to vote early in the day.

When can I vote on election day?

Most polling places will be open from 7:00a.m. to 8:00p.m. A few township polling places will open at 10:00a.m. Check with your town clerk for details.

More about voter registration:

You need to be on the official list of voters before you can vote. If you are not already registered, you can add your name to the list by filling out a Voter Registration Card.

When you fill out the card, you must give the address where you are living at the time of the election. If you are a student living at school, you can register either at home or at school (but not both!) depending on your residence.

You can get a Voter Registration Card:

at state, county, or city offices or libraries
when you apply for, renew or change your
Minnesota Driver's License or ID card
in state income tax booklets
from the registrar's office at most colleges,
universities and technical schools in Minnesota
at many businesses, stores, and community organizations

Mail in or drop off the completed card at your city clerk, county auditor or the secretary of state's office.

You can register on election day too...

If you miss registering before the election, you can still vote by registering on election day at your polling place. All you need is one of the documents listed below that shows your current address in the precinct where you live:

Minnesota Driver's License, learner permit or identification card (or receipt for a new one)
A Notice of Ineffective Registration card mailed to you by your county auditor
The oath of someone who is registered in the same precinct who knows you live in the precinct and who can go to the polling place with you

If you are a college student, you can use:

a student fee statement showing your address in the precinct and a photo ID card
a student identification card or registration card containing your current address
a student photo ID if a college student housing list or list of students is on file at your polling place

If you're already registered and move within the same precinct, you may re-register at the polling place as well.

Help is on the way...

You can ask for help to read or mark your ballot at the polling place. If you like, you can have a friend do it.
All polling places should be fully accessible. Accessible doors and parking places should be clearly marked.
If you can't easily leave your car, you can ask for the ballots to be brought out to you in your car.
If you are confined due to illness or disability, you can vote by absentee ballot. Call your county auditor or city clerk for details.
If you have limited vision, you may ask your county auditor for voter registration and absentee ballot instructions in large print or on cassette tape.
And if you are hearing impaired, every county and most cities will have a TDD device for questions.

Absentee voting...

You can vote by absentee ballot if on election day you are:

away from your precinct
ill or disabled
prevented from going to the polling place by a religious holiday or beliefs
an election judge serving in another precinct

Check with your county auditor or municipal clerk to find out how and where to apply.

In person:: Apply and vote during normal office hours before the election. You can also do it on the Saturday afternoon (from 1 pm to 3pm) or on the Monday evening (from 5pm to 7pm) before the election.
By mail:: Apply early so you can mail back or deliver your absentee ballot before election day. Apply early. Call, write or fax for an application. In some places you can return your application by fax.
In the military or outside the U.S.:: Vote based on where you last lived in Minnesota. You or your parent, spouse, brother, sister, or child who are at least 18 years of age can apply for a ballot for you.

Some useful dates...

August 23: Last day to preregister to vote in the primary election
September 10: Absentee voting is open from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at county auditor's offices
September 12: Absentee voting is open from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at county auditor's offices
September 13: Primary Election - vote 7:00 am to 8:00 pm in most areas
October 18: Last day to preregister to vote in the General Election
November 5: Absentee voting is open 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at county auditor's offices
November 7: Absentee voting is open 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at county auditor's offices
November 8: General Election - vote 7:00 am to 8:00 pm in most areas

Some plain talk...

Absentee voting: means getting your ballot in person or by mail before election day. See the Absentee voting section.
Ballot: is the official paper or card list of who or what you can vote for in the election and on which you mark your choices. You receive the ballot at your polling place or when you vote absentee.
DFL: means the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, one of the two major political parties currently active in Minnesota.
General Election: is the election that picks the final winners! Decides who will actually fill the offices - held on November 8.
IR: means the Independent-Republicans of Minnesota one of the two major political parties currently active in Minnesota.
Office; means a specific job to which people seek election. Each office has unique powers and responsibilities.
Polling place: is where you go to vote on election day (polling means voting). You can also register to vote there. Call your county auditor or city clerk's office to get the address. See the section For more information for county phone numbers.
Primary Election: is an election to reduce the field of candidates. The winners go on to the general election. All people running as DFL and IR candidates will be in the primary election and also many (but not all) local candidates. For the DFL and lR candidates, you will need to decide which party's candidates you will vote for; you cannot vote for people in both parties. To be held on September 13.
Voter registration card: is the little card or form you fill out with your name and address and turn in to become registered.
Voting: is marking your choices of people or yes or no to any questions on the official ballot.
Voting hours: the time the polling place will be open on election day. Voting hours will be 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (some small townships begin voting at 10:00 am)

Proposed changes to the State Constitution

The following proposed amendment to the State Constitution will be on the general election ballot. If a majority of all who vote in the election vote YES, the amendment will pass. This means that not voting on the amendment has the same effect as voting NO.

OFF-TRACK WAGERING ON HORSE RACES: TO AUTHORIZE:: []YES; []NO

"Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to permit off-track wagering on horse racing in a manner prescribed by law?"

The Attorney General has this to say regarding the proposed amendment:

In Chapter 626, the legislature also adopted statutory provisions that will be effective only if the people ratify the proposed amendment. The statutory provisions would require the director of pari-mutuel racing to submit a report to the legislature by February 1 1995, containing the director's recommendations on legislation to authorize and regulate off-track pari-mutuel betting on horse racing. The report would be required to contain draft legislation that embodies the director's recommendations. The draft legislation would be required to provide that:

off-track pari-mutuel betting be conducted primarily to support on-track horse racing and not supplant it;
a separate license be required to operate each off-track betting location;
off-track betting locations be limited to facilities with television displays of live horse racing, adequate seating and dining and beverage service; and
a limited number of off-track betting locations be licensed, with a reasonable geographic distribution of locations around the state.

If the amendment is adopted, article X, section 8 of the Minnesota Constitiition will read as follows:
"Section 8. The legislature may authorize (DELETED--) on-track (--DELETED) pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in a manner prescribed by law."

For more information...

To find out where to vote, to get a voter registration card or to get an absentee voting application, call your county Auditor or election department:

Aitkin          218-927-7354
Anoka           612-323-5275
Becker          218-846-7301
Beltrami        218-759-4100
Benton          612-968-6254
Big Stone       612-839-2525
Blue Earth      507-389-8212
Brown           507-359-7900
Canton          218-384-4281
Carver          612-361-1910
Cass            218-547-3300
Chippewa        612-269-7447
Chisago         612-257-1300
Clay            218-299-5006
Clearwater      218-694-6520
Cook            218-387-2282
Cottonwood      507-831-1905
Crow Wing       218-828-3970
Dakota          612-437-3191
Dodge           507-635-6230
Douglas         612-762-2381
Faribault       507-526-6211
Fillmore        507-765-2144
Freeborn        507-377-5121
Goodhue         612-388-8261
Grant           218-685-4520
Hennepin        612-348-5151
Houston         507-724-5803
Hubbard         218-732-3196
Isanti          612-689-1644
Itasca          218-327-2860
Jackson         507-847-2763
Kanabec         612-679-1030
Kandiyohi       612-231-6202
Kittson         218-843-2655
Koochiching     218-283-6201
Lac qui Parle   612-598-7444
Lake              218-834-8317
Lake of the Woods 218-634-2836
LeSueur           612-357-2251
Lincoln         507-694-1529
Lyon            507-537-6728
McLeod          612-864-5551
Mahnomen        218-935-5669
Marshall        218-745-4851
Martin          507-238-3211
Meeker          612-693-2887
Mille Lacs      612-983-8310
Morrison        612-632-2941
Mower           507-437-9535
Murray          507-836-6148
Nicollet        507-931-6800
Nobles          507-372-8231
Norman          218-784-2101
Olmsted         507-285-8145
Otter Tail      218-739-2271
Pennington      218-681-4011
Pine            612-629-6781
Pipestone       507-825-4494
Polk            218-281-2554
Ramsey          612-266-2171
Red Lake        218-253-2598
Redwood         507-637-8325
Renville        612-523-2071
Rice            507-332-6100
Rock            507-283-9165
Roseau          218-463-1282
St. Louis       218-726-2000
Scott           612-496-8160
Sherburne       612-241-2860
Sibley          612-237-2369
Stearns         612-656-3900
Steele          507-451-8040
Stevens         612-589-4660
Swift           612-843-4069
Todd            612-732-4469
Traverse        612-563-4242
Wabasha         612-565-2648
Wadena          218-631-2425
Waseca          507-835-0610
Washington      612-439-3220
Watonwan        507-375-3341
Wilkin          218-643-4981
Winona          507-457-6320
Wright          612-682-3900
Yellow Medicine 612-564-3132

To learn more about the political parties or the candidates contact:

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
352 Wacouta Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
612-293-1200
Independent-Republicans of Minnesota
480 Cedar Street, Suite 560
St. Paul, MN 55101
612-222-0022

For more information about the election or for [paper] copies of the 1994 Minnesota Voters' Guide pamphlet contact:

Joan Anderson Growe
Secretary of State
180 State Office Building
100 Constitution Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55155-1299
Telephone: (612)296-2805

This document is provided electronically by the non-partisan, MINNESOTA E-DEMOCRACY 1994 project. The text of this release was provided by the campaign or organization above. The latest and official version of this and other election documents may be obtained from the Minnesota E-Democracy server via the Twin Cities Free-Net:

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