The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires you to provide your MN driver’s license number or MN ID card number on your voter registration application.
If you don't have a MN driver's License or ID, then you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
If you don’t have a MN driver’s license or ID, then you must pro the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
If you don’t have any of the above, the Office of the Secretary of State will assign you a unique ID number.
How do I register to vote?
You can register before Election Day by filling out a voter registration form and mailing or delivering it to the McLeod County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office. The deadline for pre-registration is July 20 for the state primary and October 12 for the state general election.
You can also register at your polling place on Election Day. However, you will need proof of who you are and where you live. HAVA requires you to provide your MN Driver’s License number or MN ID card number or, if you don’t have one, the last four digits of your social security number.
You must show the election judges ONE of the following documents.
1. Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit or Minnesota identification card
(or a receipt for any of these documents) that includes your current address.
2. If you are a college student, you may use a:
a. Current student identification card or registration card that includes your current address.
b. Current student fee statement containing your current address and a photo
identification card.
c. Current student identification card including your photo
(if your college has provided a student housing list to the McLeod County Auditor’s Office).
3. Oath of registered voter in this precinct who can couch for your residence is this precint.
Employees of nursing homes, shelters and certain other residential facilities may also
vouch for the persons who reside there.
4. Prior registration at another address in this precinct.
5. Notice of late registration mailed to you by the McLeod County Auditor’s Office.
6. Tribal identification card containing your name, signature, address, and photo.
OR
7. One document from EACH of the following two groups.
a. Minnesota driver’s license or identification card with a previous address, U.S. passport,
U.S. military identification card, tribal ID that contains your signature, or student
identification card from a Minnesota college. These documents must contain your
name and photo.
b. Original bill for gas, electric, telephone, cell phone, cable TV, water, sewer, or solid waste
services. These documents must include your name and current address and have a due
date of 30 days prior or after the election date.
OR
Someone who is registered in the precinct where you live, or who is a designated employee at the residential facility where you live who will vouch for your residence.
All voter registration applications are subject to verification. Registrants who have not yet voted in a federal election and who register by mail may be required to show an identification document before voting if their identity cannot be verified by the McLeod County Auditor’s Office prior to Election Day.
How do I vote?
1) Register to vote.
2) Go to your polling place on Election Day or vote by absentee ballot.
An election judge will check to see whether you are on the list of registered voters and,
if so, will have you sign the list. If not, you can register on Election Day.
Then you will be given a ballot.
3) VOTE. The election judges will show you the process for marking and depositing
your ballot in the Precinct Optical Scanner. They also will help you read or mark the ballot if you
need assistance.
Can someone assist me to register or mark the ballot?
If you need some help with voting, you can ask the election judges at the polling place. You can also ask a relative, friend, or neighbor to help for you.
All polling places in McLeod County are fully accessible to elderly and disabled voters, with clearly marked accessible doors and parking spaces. Each polling place will be equipped with an accessible voting device for use by persons with disabilities.
If you can't easily leave your car, you can ask for the ballot to be brought out to you in your car.
If you are confined due to illness or disability, you can vote by absentee ballot.
If you have limited vision, we can provide you with voter registration and absentee ballot instructions in large print, on cassette tape, in Braille, or by TDD.
What if I work on Election Day?
Minnesota law allows you to take time off from work with pay to vote during the morning of state primary and general elections. If you will be away from home on Election Day, look at the How can I get an absentee ballot? section below.
How can I get an absentee ballot?
You can vote by absentee ballot if you are unable to vote in person on Election Day because you are...
- away from home
- ill or disabled
- an election judge serving in another precinct
- unable to go to the polling place due to a religious holiday or beliefs.
You can apply and vote either in person before Election Day or by mail. Absentee voting will begin on June 25 for the state primary and on September 17 for the state general election. There will be extended hours for in-person absentee voting at the McLeod County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office and city offices of Glencoe, Hutchinson, and Winsted on the following dates.
Saturday, August 7.....10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Monday, August 9........8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 30......10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 1.........8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
If you are not voting in person, you should submit your application by mail or fax at least four days before the election, to ensure adequate mail transit time.
If you are serving in the armed forces or otherwise living outside the US, your parent, spouse, brother, sister, or adult child can apply for you. Apply early - provide at least two weeks travel time for your ballot to reach you and for you to return it to us.
All absentee ballots must arrive at the McLeod County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office no later than 3:00 p.m. on Election Day.
If you are in the military or outside the US, you vote based on where you last lived in Minnesota. Your parent, spouse, brother, sister, or adult child can apply for you. Apply early!
How do I find out how much the candidates are spending?
You can review each candidate's financial reports and those of committees (federal, state, county, city, township, and school district candidates, and committees to support or oppose any ballot questions).
Financial reports for candidates for federal office file their reports with the Federal Election Commission. Candidates for state office file with the State Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. McLeod County candidates are filed with the McLeod County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office. Reports for all other candidates are filed with their respective city, township, or school district clerk.
Where do I get more information on the candidates?
You can contact the candidates directly, at the address or phone number provided on their affidavits of candidacy. Contact your county, city, or school district filing officer for this information.
Some candidates may be endorsed or supported by a political party. You can contact the Minnesota's major political parties to find out more information.
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
255 E Plato Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55107
(651) 293-1200
www.dfl.org
Independence Party of Minnesota
3338 University Avenue SE, Suite 350
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(651) 487-9700
www.mnip.org
Republican Party of Minnesota
525 Park St, Suite 250
St. Paul, MN 55103
(651) 222-0022
www.mngop.org
How do I get in touch with you?
You may contact us Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In person or by mail: McLeod County Auditor-Treasurer's Office
Cindy Schultz, Auditor-Treasurer
2391 Hennepin Ave. N.
Glencoe, MN 55336
By telephone: 320-864-1260
By fax: 320-864-3268
By e-mail: mcleod.auditor-treasurer@co.mcleod.mn.us
Web site: www.co.mcleod.mn.us/mcleodco.cfm?pageID=506&sub=yes
Improvements for Marking Your Ballots
Every voter will use the same paper ballot.
HAVA is providing funds for new disability accessible voting equipment. Each polling place in the state will be equipped with at least one new voting machine, the AutoMARK, which will allow voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently. While all voters may choose to use this equipment when it is their turn to vote, it was designed especially for voters who are blind, have poor eyesight, cannot hold a pen, or have other difficulties marking a paper ballot. It has a screen that can enlarge text for voters with poor eyesight, headphones so blind voters can hear the ballot instead of reading it, and a sip/puff tube portal for voters who require it. The AutoMARK detects common ballot-marking errors such as under- or over-voting and alerts voters so they can fix errors before leaving the polling place.
Election judges will instruct voters on what election equipment options are available, and personal assistance in marking ballots will still be available to voters who prefer this option to using the new equipment. Again, every voter will use the same paper ballot.
Three choices to mark your ballot:
