Publisher’s Perspective

By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune

The state’s voters, including those in Pope County have already begun voting early for the Nov. 8 general election.

We haven’t checked in yet to see how many have voted early, but if this year is like a normal year, about 25% of the state’s voters will vote absentee or vote early.

In Minnesota, residents can vote early with an absentee ballot starting 46 days before Election Day.  This year, that means residents could begin voting on Sept. 23.

How do you vote early?

Pope County voters can request an absentee ballot online for federal, state and county elections.  To request a ballot online visit https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us. 

Local voters can also vote in person early at the Auditor-Treasurer’s office in the Pope County Courthouse.   The election official for Pope County is Auditor-Treasurer Stephanie Rust.  Her office can be accessed by phone at 320-634-7706 or by email at Stephanie.Rust@popecountymn.gov.  Residents can also register to vote at the Auditor-Treasurer’s office.  

In Minnesota, voters can also register at their polling place on Election Day.

Registered voters in Pope County who reside in a “Mail Ballot Precinct” will automatically receive their ballots in the mail, according to the Pope County Auditor-Treasurer Stephanie Rust.

All voters, before they are eligible to vote, must register.  Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon put out a news release recently remind anyone who’s not registered to vote to do so now.

Despite high voter turnouts in this state year after year, Simon explained the Minnesota has more than 500,000 eligible voters who are not registered. 

“There’s a segment out there that not only isn’t voting, but isn’t even registered to vote, that’s eligible,” Simon explained. “And so we’ve got to get at those folks and let them know how important it is, but maybe even more how easy it is.”

All information about polling places and who or what is on the ballot can be found at MNVotes.gov. That includes registering to vote.  Those who are yet registered in Pope County, can do so in person at the Pope County Auditor-Treasurer’s office in the Pope County Courthouse.  The local workers in that office are very helpful and knowledgeable.  

In addition to registering to vote, Minnesotans can use MNVotes.gov to learn more about the races on the ballot and where they can vote. This year voters may notice the races they can vote in, and their polling places, have changed due to redistricting. 

In Minnesota, new maps of these district lines were produced by a panel of five judges and released to the public on February 15, 2022.

In the coming weeks, the Pope County Tribune will be running questionnaires on local races and we will publish the newly drawn House and Senate Districts in Minnesota.  We hope all eligible voters in this area and in the state register and vote in the upcoming election.  

Voting is a privilege for every American and a freedom that should not be neglected.

In Minnesota, residents can register anytime, even at their polling places on election day.

For the past three years, Minnesota has led the nation in voter turnout, but there are still nearly 30 percent of us who could, but don’t vote.  

We hope to increase voter participation in Minnesota by making it as easy as possible to register and then, legally vote.