Checking Your Voter Registration Status Is As Important As Voting

Press release from the City of Golden Valley:

October 6, 2020

Many states across the country automatically remove the names of registered voters from the poll books if they haven’t voted in recent elections. In Minnesota, if you haven’t voted in four years, your name is likely to be “purged” from the registered voting list. Luckily, Minnesota has same day registration, but individuals in other states aren’t so lucky. Voter registration and poll purges are just two of the issues that will be discussed in the City’s Oct 8 virtual forum “Building An Equitable Golden Valley: What Does It Mean to Have Access to Voting?”

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State, you must re-register to vote each time you change address, change names, or do not vote at least once during a four-year period. If you’re not registered, see eligibility and other requirements below.

Eligibility

To be eligible to vote in Minnesota, you must:

• be at least 18 years old on election day
• be a citizen of the United States
• have resided in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding election day
• not be under a court-ordered guardianship in which the court order revokes the right to vote
• have not been ruled legally incompetent by a court of law
• have any felony conviction record discharged, expired, or completed

Pre-Registering

You may pre-register to vote at any time except for the 20 days preceding an election. You may register:

• online at mnvotes.org
• by mail by completing a Voter Registration Card (also available at City Hall)
• in person at Golden Valley City Hall or the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN 55415

Registering On Election Day

If you did not register before Election Day, residents can register at their polling place with a valid proof of residence.

Join The Voter Access Discussion Oct 8

During the Oct 8 virtual forum “Building An Equitable Golden Valley: What Does It Mean to Have Access to Voting?,” a moderated panel will explore the history of voter rights and discuss barriers to voting that people face. A Q&A session will follow. The event will be hosted on Webex from 6–7:30 pm, broadcast on CCX Channel 16, and streamed at ccxmedia.org and on the City’s Facebook page.

Forum attendees and residents are asked to share their experiences with the voting process through a short survey by Oct 8 at noon. Responses will be compiled and used in discussions between panelists at the forum.

For more information about the forum, visit the City website. For more information about registering to vote see the information below or go to the Secretary of State website.

This press release was produced by the City of Golden Valley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.