ANOKA, Minn. — County election officials want you to be careful snapping a picture at the polls during the primary election.
“Kind of touching on the ballot selfies. It is allowed, but you do want to make sure you’re respecting other people’s privacy at the polling place,” Anoka County Election Director Tom Hunt said, adding he wants voters to be mindful of their surroundings.
Voters are also not allowed to take photos of marked ballots, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Hunt thinks voters will be in and out relatively quickly because the last two primary elections have resulted in lower voter turnout hovering around 20%.
He thinks there could be a lot of first-time voters this primary election because voting rights were restored for formerly incarcerated people last year.
“There’s a very good chance people are going to be first-time voters and sometimes first-time voters do get intimated by the process, they’re not really sure what to expect, they’re hesitant to go out. Don’t be hesitant at all, please come out. Election judges are well-trained, that’s what they’re there for to help you through the process,” Hunt said.
Hennepin County election officials also believe there could be more first-time voters because of this.
Hunt said registered voters don’t need to bring anything with them to the polls, but voters who register at the polls need to bring the necessary documents to sign up.
“Probably the best thing you can do is go to the Secretary of State’s website mn.votes.org because that’s kind of a one-stop shop for really anything election related,” he said.
If you don’t have the proper identification materials, Hunt said another option is to bring a voucher.
“The voucher is a registered voter in that precinct that can come with you and verify that you should be voting in that polling place,” Hunt said.
He said if you need assistance voting, Hunt said voters can bring someone with them like a translator.
Hunt said one of the biggest misconceptions for primary elections is that the presidential candidates will be on the ballot. He wants people to know presidential candidates won’t be on this ballot. However, there will be partisan races on the front of the ballot.
“Minnesota only has two major parties. Right now each party is going to have its own column and people need to stay in one column or the other,” Hunt said.
He said voters must either vote all Republican or all Democrats. Non-partisan races will be on the back of the ballot.
