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You are here: Home / Blog / UPDATED: Information for Voters with Disabilities

UPDATED: Information for Voters with Disabilities

October 13, 2020

MN Votes logo: Contains the word Vote. Inside the "O" is an outline of Minnesota with the words "I Will Vote". Beneath Vote are the words Register and Get Informed. MNvotes.org.

An IMPORTANT message from the Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s Office:

“It is too late to rely on mail service to return absentee ballots in time–we recommend ballots be dropped off in person to the election office that sent your ballot.”

If you need assistance with voting, please contact MCD ADA Director David Fenley at 651.587-3899 or David.Fenley@state.mn.us.

VOTE. REGISTER. GET INFORMED.

In Minnesota, we have many options to vote, and our state makes it very easy to vote if you so desire and are eligible. Polling locations are required to be accessible, and absentee ballots are available to any eligible registered voter.

Voters with disabilities may receive support from a person of their choice, including family members or an election judge – if they vote at the polling places or early voting locations. The assistants can participate in all parts of voting, including marking the ballot as instructed by the voter. However, the assistants cannot influence the voter or mark the ballot for them if the voter cannot communicate who they want to vote for.

Additionally, voters with a disability may also use an accessible ballot-marking machine if they vote at the polling place or early voting locations. All voting locations are required to have an accessible ballot-marking machine.

During a pandemic, folks need to understand what their rights are in Minnesota. Anyone can vote by mail (also called absentee voting), and due to COVID19, there is no witness requirement for registered voters for the November 3 State General Election. Non-registered voters will still need a witness to indicate their proof of residence.

Also, if voting using a mail-in absentee ballot, an individual with a disability may receive support in filling out and signing their ballot. The person assisting the voter with a disability can participate in all parts of the voting process, including signing the ballot as instructed by the voter.

Find out how to:

  • Register to vote,
  • Find your polling location
  • Apply for an absentee ballot
  • Track your mail-in/absentee ballot

Learn more at the Secretary of State’s website.

Additional Resources

  • Vote – Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing
  • Minnesota’s New ASL Hotline for Voters

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