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In a little more than two weeks, we will have an important
election. Remember that you can vote early at specific locations in
your city or county and use an accessible voting machine. Also,
there is still time to get an accessible absentee ballot as well, but
that process should be started right away. Please note that since
one no longer is required to give a reason to need an absentee ballot in
Minnesota, this ballot is sometimes referred to as a “mail-in
ballot”. Time must be allowed for your absentee ballot to get to
you through the mail, and your ballot must be returned by mail unless you
drop it off. Remember that the boundaries of congressional and
legislative districts have been adjusted since the previous general
election, so the location of your polling place could have changed. Here
is information that we hope will be helpful.<br><br>
<br><br>
Here are some updated descriptions of the accessible absentee
ballot process. This information is accurate as far as we know, but
there are some aspects we have not been able to confirm. Again this year,
blind Minnesotans can vote privately, safely and accessibly, because
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnfbmn.org%2Fvoting%2F2020-10-24&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1RPsqJiL27cIjb%2Blvz8ZqUa0ig%2FzY6MnLftvkgZ6dCw%3D&reserved=0">
the Secretary of State did the right thing by adopting an electronic tool
to mark absentee ballots</a> from home. While blind Minnesotans may need
assistance to sign the ballot envelope and add their identification
number, the ballot itself can remain private. <br><br>
If you would like to use the accessible absentee ballot for the November
8 general election, you must start working on that right away. Also,
counties can optionally provide other approaches to making absentee
ballots accessible, so the process explained here could vary in some
cases. Remember that “early voting” using an accessible voting machine is
an option as well.<br><br>
<br><br>
The accessible absentee ballot process used by most counties in Minnesota
uses a process created by a company named Democracy Live. They have
produced a demonstration of this process on YouTube which can be played
at
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dhdi-Ge54TkM%26t%3D3s&data=05%7C01%7C%7C6f260c82acfa4a6426ce08dab3960573%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638019754183097852%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dDNrEqu%2FI8lt99%2FM%2Fs1F%2BpkU%2FEKRovhJs042EPQ1xfI%3D&reserved=0">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdi-Ge54TkM&t=3s</a>.<br><br>
<br><br>
Follow these steps to request, complete, and return your accessible,
absentee ballot.
<ol>
<li>
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmnvotes.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZkshRBeWwxrvhK6%2FM7WVJyBce8umUYqEDWslN4%2BP7XA%3D&reserved=0">
Request your absentee ballot</a> using the standard process. This process
and a lot of other very useful information can be found at
<a href="http://www.mnvotes.org/">http://www.mnvotes.org</a>. You will
need the envelopes that will be sent with your paper, absentee ballot, so
don’t throw them away!
<li>
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sos.state.mn.us%2Felections-voting%2Ffind-county-election-office%2F%3FsearchTerm%3Dcounty%2520elections&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Rg%2BfpoNprPwxMWdi%2FW9Vtdih55I%2Bg%2BAPUyLf4dgAwOQ%3D&reserved=0">
Contact your county’s election office (Office of the County Auditor),</a>
and request an an electronic ballot as a reasonable accommodation under
the Americans with Disabilities Act. Many counties now have someone
designated to handle absentee ballot requests.
<li>Follow the link and instructions that your County Auditor will e-mail
to you to reach the Omniballot system hosted by Democracy Live.
<li>Print the marked ballot, and seal it inside the smallest, tan
envelope (called the Secrecy Envelope) sent with your absentee ballot.
<li>Insert the Secrecy Envelope into the medium-sized, white Signature
Envelope and seal it. At this point, you may need sighted assistance to
fully complete the required form fields on the signature envelope. This
includes your signature, a signature of a witness, and the identifying
code you used when you requested an absentee ballot. This identifying
code is either your State ID card number of the last four digits of your
Social Security number.
<li>Place this sealed envelope inside the largest Mailing/Return
Envelope, seal it, and mail it so that it arrives by Election Day.
</ol><br>
<a href="tel:+16512151440">Contact the Minnesota Voter Help Hotline at
(651) 215-1440</a> for any questions related to accessible
voting.<br><br>
The website with County contact information is pretty easy to use. As
shown above, that link is<br><br>
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sos.state.mn.us%2Felections-voting%2Ffind-county-election-office%2F%3FsearchTerm%3Dcounty%2520elections&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Rg%2BfpoNprPwxMWdi%2FW9Vtdih55I%2Bg%2BAPUyLf4dgAwOQ%3D&reserved=0">
Find Your County Election Office</a><br><br>
I found that finding your county on the list and pressing SPACE seems to
work best. The county information will appear just after the county name
but the rest of the list remains visible. Sometimes you may find that the
virtual cursor has gone to the top of the page and you may need to
navigate back to the county name you selected. Here is some
information for several major counties that cover the Twin Cities,
Rochester, Mankato, Duluth, and the St. Cloud area. Sorry to the At
Large members not covered here. <br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Benton County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Nadean Inman<br>
General phone: 320-968-5027<br>
Fax: 320-968-5337<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.benton.mn.us%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Vd7kJI1oHpejyc2CdhE1dPvnleLqFwJXXR9tD4i67No%3D&reserved=0">
<b>http://www.co.benton.mn.us/</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.benton.mn.us">elections@co.benton.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Heather Bondhus<br>
Phone: 320-968-5027<br>
Fax: 320-968-5337<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.benton.mn.us">elections@co.benton.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Blue Earth County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Michael Stalberger<br>
General phone: 507-304-4341<br>
Fax: 507-304-4075<br>
Website:
<a href="http://www.blueearthcountymn.gov/index.aspx?nid=326"><b>
http://www.blueearthcountymn.gov/index.aspx?nid=326</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:BEC.Elections@blueearthcountymn.gov">
BEC.Elections@blueearthcountymn.gov</a><br><br>
<h3><b>STREET ADDRESS</b></h3><br><br>
Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse<br>
204 S 5th St<br>
Mankato, MN 56001<br><br>
<h3><b>MAILING ADDRESS</b></h3><br><br>
Blue Earth County Elections<br>
PO Box 3567<br>
Mankato, MN 56002-3567<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Kristy Maes<br>
Phone: 507-304-4341<br>
Fax: 507-304-4075<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:BEC.Elections@blueearthcountymn.gov">
BEC.Elections@blueearthcountymn.gov</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Hennepin County Elections</b></h2><br><br>
Phone: 612-348-5151<br>
Fax: 612-348-2151<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:hc.vote@hennepin.us">hc.vote@hennepin.us</a><br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Hennepin County Elections<br>
Phone: 612-348-5151<br>
Fax: 612-348-2151<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:hc.vote@hennepin.us">hc.vote@hennepin.us</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Nicollet County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Jaci Kopet<br>
General phone: 507-934-7806<br>
Fax: 507-931-0856<br>
Website:
<a href="http://www.co.nicollet.mn.us/"><b>
http://www.co.nicollet.mn.us/</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:election@co.nicollet.mn.us">election@co.nicollet.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h3><b>ADDRESS</b></h3><br><br>
Nicollet County Govt Center<br>
501 S Minnesota Ave<br>
St Peter, MN 56082<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Jaci Kopet<br>
Phone: 507-934-7806<br>
Fax: 507-931-0856<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:election@co.nicollet.mn.us">election@co.nicollet.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Olmsted County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Luke Turner<br>
General phone: 507-328-7650<br>
Fax: 507-328-7640<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Folmstedcounty.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aBqtZiHCLip20A8vz3JEMu20OeXVDBZzd3jk401%2FYRU%3D&reserved=0">
<b>https://olmstedcounty.gov</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.olmsted.mn.us">elections@co.olmsted.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Luke Turner<br>
Phone: 507-328-7650<br>
Fax: 507-328-7640<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.olmsted.mn.us">elections@co.olmsted.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h2><b> </b></h2><br><br>
<br>
<h2><b>Ramsey County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: David Triplett<br>
General phone: 651-266-2171<br>
Fax: 651-266-2177<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ramseycounty.us%2Fresidents%2Felections-voting&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pQc53h0MmQ8o279G2tNcP14QhGPA2zngm13%2FnZNKFv0%3D&reserved=0">
<b>https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/elections-voting</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.ramsey.mn.us">elections@co.ramsey.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Absentee Ballot Coordinator<br>
Phone: 651-266-2171<br>
Fax: 651-266-2177<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.ramsey.mn.us">elections@co.ramsey.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Saint Louis County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Nancy Nilsen<br>
General phone: 218-726-2385<br>
Fax: 218-725-5060<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stlouiscountymn.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gMx1A1KmM38YGNtJ4KgmU%2BHlRTt3rhYHK0I92XAUyy0%3D&reserved=0">
<b>http://www.stlouiscountymn.gov/</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@stlouiscountymn.gov">
elections@stlouiscountymn.gov</a><br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
St. Louis County Elections<br>
Phone: 218-726-2385<br>
Fax: 218-725-5060<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@stlouiscountymn.gov">
elections@stlouiscountymn.gov</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Sherburne County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Diane Arnold<br>
General phone: 763-765-4351<br>
Fax: 763-765-4400<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.sherburne.mn.us%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oEzCz%2BfQL5qLVEoQT%2BUPT7Bsw6zCSDZH%2BeGKhpDMpmg%3D&reserved=0">
<b>http://www.co.sherburne.mn.us/</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.sherburne.mn.us">
elections@co.sherburne.mn.us</a><br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Kenneth Selser, Jr.<br>
Phone: 763-765-4351<br>
Fax: 763-765-4400<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.sherburne.mn.us">
elections@co.sherburne.mn.us</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Stearns County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Randy Schreifels<br>
General phone: 320-656-3920<br>
Fax: 320-203-6960<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stearnscountymn.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=99p6vbPuGxh9AOOWvwgHa8pKMvQzdFlOfjlTT4%2FaWvA%3D&reserved=0">
<b>https://www.stearnscountymn.gov</a><br>
</b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.stearns.mn.us">elections@co.stearns.mn.us</a>
<br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Julie Ritz<br>
Phone: 320-656-6522<br>
Fax: 320-203-6960<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:julie.ritz@co.stearns.mn.us">
julie.ritz@co.stearns.mn.us</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Washington County</b></h2><br><br>
Election official: Christine Piskura<br>
General phone: 651-430-6175<br>
Fax: 651-430-6178<br>
Website:
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.washington.mn.us%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C436e54fe646647a17cf408da7262ad9e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637948065388463843%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bmd6gmhwKCJfHXDPMe28c5B4pF3f21kEGv3BLd%2BECf4%3D&reserved=0">
<b>http://www.co.washington.mn.us/</a></b><br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.washington.mn.us">
elections@co.washington.mn.us</a><br><br>
<h3><b>ABSENTEE VOTING CONTACT</b></h3><br><br>
Washington County Elections<br>
Phone: 651-430-6175<br>
Fax: 651-430-6178<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:elections@co.washington.mn.us">
elections@co.washington.mn.us</a><br><br>
<br><br>
I hope this information is helpful, but please remember that some parts
of this process could be different in your particular county.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Best regards,<br><br>
<br><br>
Steve Jacobson, President<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nfbmn.org/">www.nfbmn.org</a><br><br>
(612) 872-9363<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/" eudora="autourl">www.nfb.org</a><br><br>
Live the life you Want.<br>
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