Information about Minnesota’s voting process in American Sign Language (ASL). Original content is provided by the Minnesota Secretary of State Office. These videos were produced by the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (MNCDHH).
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Transcript:
[Opening with the State of Minnesota seal in the background. ASL narrator Sarah Houge appears, with the following words visible on the screen, “See Your Ballot Ahead of Time. Produced by the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans. Sarah begins to sign, the CC begins and the voiceover begins.]
[Visual of a woman filling out paperwork.]
You can get ready for Election Day by getting a copy of your ballot before you go to vote. This will let you see which candidates are running for office in your area
[Background: State General Election Ballot]
and whether there are any ballot questions that you’ll get to vote on.
[Background: Minnesota Votes website. An arrow shows the online navigation for going through the process of finding your ballot.]
To see the candidates and questions on your ballot, go to the Minnesota Votes website. Look for how to see your ballot. It should be easy to find.
There are two ways to look up your ballot. Either:
• Enter your zip code and click “Go”; or
• Choose the name of your county, from the drop down list then click on “Go”. It will then ask you for the City in which you live. Choose it from the drop down menu, then click “Go” again.
On the next screen, enter your house number and choose the name of your street from the drop down menu. If you have an unusual address, like 325 ½ , choose the suffix from the drop down menu.
[Background: A sample ballot]
Then click on “Go” to see the list of candidates and questions who will appear on your ballot.
If the candidate provided a link to their website, their name will be underlined and you can easily research where they stand on the issues that are important to you.
[Background: The 2016 proposed constitutional amendment.]
There may also be links to any proposed Constitutional Amendments or local questions that will appear on your ballot. If so, be sure to read these ahead of time so that you know what you’re voting on.
[Background: A sample ballot]
At both the top and the bottom of the list of candidates, there is a green link to an image of your ballot if your county has provided it. You can print this out, mark your choices, and bring it with you when you go to vote.
As you can see, the ballot contains a lot of information. You will have a lot of decisions to make!
[Visual of election judges helping a voter.]
You can fill in a sample ballot before you go to your polling place and take it with you into the voting booth.
[Background: State General Election Ballot]
However, you will need to complete an official ballot in order for your vote to count.
[Background: Sample ballot]
There is a second green link at the bottom of the page so that you can see where you go to vote.
For more information, go to the Minnesota Votes website.
[MNCDHH logo is shown. Video ends.]