Count the ways Minnesota elections are safe and secure

 This article was published in the Park Rapids Enterprise on Wednesday Sept 14th. 

The League of Women Voters is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public.
One of the most vital issues to be addressed this election season is the security of our elections. We need to remember that each state runs its own elections, so when we read about “problems” in other states that does not necessarily apply to Minnesota.
According to audits and reviews by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office and the Legislative Auditor’s Office, Minnesota elections are safe and secure.
This is also affirmed by the Hubbard County auditor’s office.

• From when a vote is received at the precinct until it is certified by the county and state, teams of election judges, represented by different parties, handle the ballots.
• At the state level, a bipartisan post-election audit is conducted to certify the election, which is open to the public, and includes a final report for all counties.
• After the audit, all ballots are kept locally in protected storage for 22 months.
• A formal complaint and public recount process already exists to address  any errors that may occur.
  

Election results are not official until they have been reviewed and certified by a local canvassing board.
The canvassing board, made up of local officials, checks to make sure the numbers received from the county and election judges at the precincts match. If the numbers don’t match, the canvassing board must figure out where the discrepancy came from before they can certify the results.

Canvassing boards are also involved in the process of randomly selecting precincts for review after every statewide general election. They can also oversee any recounts. This makes the election results official, pending legal challenges.

After the information is canvassed, the county moves to the post-election review. This process is open to the public. Officials involved are again working in bipartisan pairs at all times.

Additional election security measures are in place statewide:

•  The biggest security system is the decentralization of our election system – there is no “central” or federal system that can be hacked or tampered with. There are federal standards, but each state sets its own laws and standards.
•  Even the padlocks used to seal election results information and voting machines are tracked via serial number to ensure no one tampers with them.
•  Election officials must verify that voting machines are printing out zeros at the start of the day.
•  Paper trails are key in Minnesota and are used at practically every step in the process to check and recheck results.
• Testing of vote tabulator machines is public.
• Minnesota has challengers –not poll watchers or poll observers – on Election Day and during the absentee vote certification process, but challengers must have personal knowledge that the person they are challenging is not eligible to vote.
• Minnesota has a process for people to file complaints if they believe something went wrong or if they saw something against our election laws happening at a polling place. Complaints are turned over to the county attorney.
• Transparency is a main focus of the Minnesota elections system.
  

National Voter Registration Day

Sept. 20 is National Voter Registration Day.

Members of League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area will be available at the Park Rapids Area Library to answer questions and provide information.
Additional resources

For more information, visit these websites:

Minnesota Secretary of State canvassing boards: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/how-elections-work/canvassing-boards .

Personal knowledge to challenge a voter’s eligibility: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-day-voting/rules-for-challengers .

League of Women Voters Park Rapids is preparing for midterm elections

 

This article was published in the Park Rapids Enterprise 9/7/22

Preparing for Midterm Elections

For more than 100 years, the League of Women Voters has been a trusted source of nonpartisan voter registration and education, and a longstanding witness to Minnesota’s proud tradition of voter access and election integrity. This tradition has been upheld by trained election professionals who, together with local election judges from all major parties, conduct and verify our elections and ensure that all votes are correctly counted, using the many safeguards we

currently have in place. Sadly, misinformation following the 2020 elections is undermining voter confidence and has resulted in hostility toward election officials, efforts to impede voter access to polling places and party balance of election judges.

Please take time to learn more about best practices and safeguards associated with Minnesota elections. Take note of the additional reports and sources that continue to document confidence in the 2020 elections. A LWVMN March 2021 on-line seminar interviewing a panel of election officials and judges from across the state affirmed that our Minnesota elections were and remain, fair and accurate.

In the next several weeks, prior to the November midterm elections, the LWV Park Rapids Area will help by sharing information for the voting public. We will include information on a variety of election related subjects and hold in person candidate forums for local elections the last week in September.  To protect our democracy, we must assure our citizens that the process of voting in Minnesota has the safeguards in place to protect both voter access and election integrity.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area  (LWVPRA), a non-partisan organization, our mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government through education and advocacy.  All our programs are free and open to the public.  Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or on how to join by emailing:  

lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org.

LWV Park Rapids Area Encourages everyone to participate in the caucuses.

As a part of our non-partisan mission to educate area voters on election procedures and processes, League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area is encouraging all local citizens to participate in the precinct caucuses that will be held on February 1, 2022.  The caucus is the first place to help determine who is on the election ballot. Time to make your voice heard.

Attending caucuses is the way to support your preferred candidates by participating in this endorsement process.  According to the Park Rapids Enterprise, “going to a caucus is a great way to show support for a candidate, raise an issue that’s important to you, influence who the party will endorse for many offices up for election this year  and meet people in your community.”

Precinct caucuses are meetings run by Minnesota’s political parties. They are the first in a series of meetings where parties may endorse candidates, select delegates to the next level conventions, and start to set the principles the candidates run on. This is called a party platform. To participate, you must be eligible to vote in the next general election and live in the precinct. You also must generally agree with the principles of the political party hosting the caucus.

Announcement from Hubbard County Republicans (GOP) Hubbard County
Republicans will hold their local precinct caucus, starting at 7 p.m.(registration at 6:30 p.m.) on Tuesday, Feb.1.

Park Rapids Century School cafetorium (501 Helten Ave.):
Residents of the city of Park Rapids and townships of Argo, Clay, Clover,Henrietta, Hubbard, Lake Emma, Straight River and Todd.

Akeley Regional Community Center (210 Pleasant Avenue SE):
Residents of the cities of Nevis and Akeley and townships of Akeley, Badoura, Crow Wing, Mantrap, Nevis, Steamboat River, Thorpe and White Oak.

Laporte School community room (315 Main Street West):
Residents of the city of Laporte and townships of Farden, Fern, Guthrie, Hart Lake, Helga, Hendrickson, Lake Alice, Lake George, Lake Hattie, Lakeport, Rockwood and Schoolcraft.

Announcement from Hubbard County DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor)
All  DFLers  are welcome to the caucuses. Registration will open at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at all precinct caucus locations. Caucuses start at 7 p.m. 

Please note that on Jan. 25 the Minnesota DFL State Central Committee approved a bylaw that removes the requirement that a person must be eligible to vote to participate in caucuses. This means anyone anyone who will be 18 by the November Election (Nov. 8, 2022), is a resident of the precinct and identifies as a member of the DFL can participate.
    Well fitted, properly worn masks will be required even while speaking and attendees must show proof of COVID vaccinations or recent negative COVID test results. Social distancing also will be required. ((read the complete press release from the DFL here))

 Park Rapids Area High School (401 Huntsinger Ave.):
Residents of the city of Park Rapids and townships of Arago, Clay, Clover, Henrietta, Hubbard, Lake Alice, Lake Emma, Straight River and Todd.

Nevis School (210 Pleasant):
Residents of the cities of Akeley and Nevis and townships of Akeley, Badoura, Crow Wing, Mantrap, Nevis, Thorpe and White Oak.

Laporte School (315 Main Street West):
Residents of the city of Laporte and townships of Hart Lake, Hendrickson, Lake George, Lakeport and Steamboat River.

Helga Community Center (25895 County Road 9):
Townships of Farden, Fern, Guthrie, Helga, Lake Hattie, Rockwood and Schoolcraft.

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If you are uncertain where to attend, go to the Minnesota Secretary of State's website: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/how-elections-work/precinct-caucuses/?searchTerm=caucuses and enter your address to find out where your party is meeting. 

 If you would like to talk to a League member about how a caucus works, please email you contact information to:  lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org    
A league member will call you.  

National Voter Registration Day 2021: September 28

 

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area will celebrate National Voter Registration Day on September 28th by hosting a voter registration event at the Park Rapids Public Library.  Our members will be available at an information table from  9:30 am to 5:30 pm. We can help you verify your voter registration information and make updates if necessary.  Then you will be already to vote in the next election. They can also help you apply for an absentee ballot.

If you don't have time to stop by and visit with our members in person, on your phone , tablet or home computer, please go to https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/register-to-vote/ .  You can verify your registration and check out all the other details of how to vote in Minnesota.

Still Need help?

Call us at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) or contact your county election office.

See you at the library on Sept. 28th and remember as a citizen voting is your right and your responsibility: Stay informed. 

Join LWV PRA and Beagle and Wolf’s Current Events Book Club for a community discussion:

 

Minnesotans love to talk about the weather especially because it seems to swing from one extreme to the next very quickly. Within one month, especially in spring or fall, we can have summer-like-heat or winter-cold. It can rain buckets in an hour and wash away the road, or it can be hot, dry and dusty like this year.

“It seems to me that in the 1960s, June in Park Rapids meant sweatshirts and long pants in the morning, then shorts or swim suits by noon, but back to the sweatshirts by evening,” said Carolynne White, League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area (LWVPRA) member, who grew up in Park Rapids and retired here. “The night always cooled off for sleeping. I didn’t know anyone who had air conditioning, especially not in their cabins. We didn’t seem to need it. There was usually at least one week of constant rain or drizzle too. But this summer, the air conditioning is so welcome and I’m glad I have an irrigation system for my garden.”

The changing climate and what effects it has on our lives has now become a “hot” topic of discussion. LWVPRA and Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery invites all interested people to have a community conversation about these changes.

To focus the discussion it is suggested that people get together in smaller groups over the summer to view David Attenborough’s film titled A Life on Our Planet. It is on Netflix or the DVD may be available at the library. This beautiful film shows Attenborough’s personal memories of the places he has filmed over the last 70 years and the amazing changes he has seen on our planet. Invite family, friends, neighbors and have your own movie night.

If you are a reader you can get the book version at Beagle or the library. The book is called:  A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future.

Attenborough has worked with the BBC for close to 70 years. Many people associate him with beautifully-shot nature documentaries -  Our Planet, Planet, Earth II and Blue Planet II, etc. His films deal with the impact humankind is having on the planet.

The discussion about climate changes world wide and locally will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 with a hybrid meeting of the Current Events Book Club. After you have watched the film or read the book, send your RSVP to lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org for an in person session at the bookstore (so organizers can be sure to have enough space) or send you the Zoom link.

Link to the Trailer for A Life on Our Planet 

Annual Meeting was a success!

On June 16th, 2021 LWV Park Rapids held its Annual Meeting. This time in Heartland Park and even though the wind gave us a bit of worry at first.  We heard from Chris & Dan Wilde and Alan Kris about their Telsa cars. We also heard from the Novaks, the Hedeens and Beth Baker Knuttila who all own hybrid cars.  You can watch the entire program on You Tube:  https://youtu.be/m0BL2-HBW4k. 

After the presentation the LWVPRA elected officers and confirmed committee chairs as well as affirmed our policies on non-partisanship, diversity and conflict of interests.  Thank you to all who stepped forward to fill these important jobs that will take LWVPRA into our 2nd century of work in our community. 

June 16th at Heartland Park: Is an Electric Car or even a hybrid really a good idea for northern MN?

Program on Electric cars plus Annual Meeting:

 

 League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area (LWVPRA) invites everyone who helped celebrate the League’s Centennial (a year late) to a special program and annual meeting.

When the League was founded 101 years ago, its main mission was to educate voters on the major issues of the day. One of the “hottest topics” recently has been whether and how to support a change from gas-powered vehicles to all-electric vehicles. Almost everyone has seen articles and heard programs on the pros and cons of this change, but this is usually from a state or national viewpoint.

LWVPRA is inviting the public to

Heartland Park (Pavilion #3) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 16

for an educational program on electric cars. Local electric car owners, Dan and Chris Wilde and Alan Kriz, will talk about their experiences with their electric cars.

The Wildes and Kriz considered owning electric vehicles because they have always been energy conscious and concerned about the environment.

“When we purchased our first BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) in 2015, there was not as much choice of affordable cars,” Dan Wilde said. “We found a Nissan Leaf dealer near our home (in California) that had a great sale on at the time. We test drove the car and liked it so we made our first purchase. For the Tesla, I did extensive reading on the internet about the car and also got to test drive our neighbor’s Tesla. Tesla was the only car at the time of our purchase that had a range greater than 300 miles. It also has a great nationwide supercharging system that makes long distance travel more convenient.”

After the presentation, the public can ask questions about the two Telas and 3 hybrid cars that will be in the parking area so the public can get an up close look at them.

The LWVPRA Annual Meeting will follow the car event. All are welcome to stay and learn more about the League. The agenda includes electing new officers, ratifying our nonpartisan and diversity policies as well as voting on the annual budget.

Reminder: All League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area programs are free and open to the public. Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or how to join LWVPRA (not for women only) by emailing lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org. Follow League activities, events at lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/.