• About
  • Jewish Community Directory
  • Subscription Information
  • Contact Us
American Jewish World
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia & New Zealand
    • Europe
    • Israel/Mideast
    • Latin America
    • Minnesota
    • US & Canada
    Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

    Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

    Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

    Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

    Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

    Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

  • Arts
    • All
    • Blue Box
    • Books & Literature
    • Music
    • Televison & Film
    • Theater & Performing Arts
    • Visual Arts
    Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

    Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

    Righteous Diplomats saved Jews in the Shoah

    Righteous Diplomats saved Jews in the Shoah

    Sharon’s got a brand-new bag

    Sharon’s got a brand-new bag

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Travel & Culture
    Robyn Frank finds her niche in the cookie business

    Robyn Frank finds her niche in the cookie business

    Editorial: More from my European vacation

    Editorial: More from my European vacation

    Our Rosh Hashana special edition

    Our Rosh Hashana special edition

  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • AJW Digital Archives
  • News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia & New Zealand
    • Europe
    • Israel/Mideast
    • Latin America
    • Minnesota
    • US & Canada
    Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

    Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

    Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

    Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

    Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

    Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

  • Arts
    • All
    • Blue Box
    • Books & Literature
    • Music
    • Televison & Film
    • Theater & Performing Arts
    • Visual Arts
    Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

    Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

    Righteous Diplomats saved Jews in the Shoah

    Righteous Diplomats saved Jews in the Shoah

    Sharon’s got a brand-new bag

    Sharon’s got a brand-new bag

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Travel & Culture
    Robyn Frank finds her niche in the cookie business

    Robyn Frank finds her niche in the cookie business

    Editorial: More from my European vacation

    Editorial: More from my European vacation

    Our Rosh Hashana special edition

    Our Rosh Hashana special edition

  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • AJW Digital Archives
No Result
View All Result
Morning News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Minnesota

Steve Simon: Please vote by mail

Minnesota Secretary of State says elections are a 'public health issue'

mordecai by mordecai
July 5, 2020
in Featured, Minnesota, News, US & Canada
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By ADRIAN GLASS-MOORE / Assistant Editor

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon is encouraging Minnesotans to vote by mail for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections.

READ ALSO

Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

In a phone interview with the Jewish World last month, Simon described the elections this year as a “public health issue” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in mail-in ballots would reduce the number of people at the polls and therefore reduce the spread of the virus.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

The Aug. 11 primary features DFL and Republican hopefuls for U.S. Senate and other offices. The Nov. 3 general election will offer the opportunity to vote for president and will have a higher turnout.

“Every person that votes from home this year is making it safer for those who do show up on election day at the polling place, both the voters and the poll workers as well,” Simon said.

A mail-in ballot can be requested online at mnvotes.org in a matter of “three minutes, maybe four,” Simon said. Voting by mail is possible starting 46 days before Election Day.

Other states have had problems with elections this year. Wisconsin’s presidential primary election on April 7 was marked by long lines, some waiting for as long as 2 1/2 hours to vote, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Georgia’s June 9 primary featured a new voting system that didn’t work properly. There were long lines and some people gave up and went home, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Simon said he had been watching the elections in Wisconsin and Georgia and “we’re planning every day to make sure” the same doesn’t happen in Minnesota.

One issue to worry about is a shortage of poll workers, also known as election judges.

“Especially in Wisconsin, at the last minute with only a few days to spare a lot of the people who had signed up to be poll workers declined to serve,” Simon said. “They just didn’t want to subject themselves to a polling place. They didn’t want to risk their health and so they pulled out and they declined to serve.”

To avoid a similar issue happening here, Simon is encouraging local governments to recruit more poll workers than usual.

“There should be a reserve force in place,” he said. Poll workers are paid.

Simon is expecting about 3 million Minnesotans to vote in the Nov. 3 general election. Minnesota has about 3,000 polling places statewide, meaning an average of 1,000 voters per polling place. Simon says that number needs to go “way down from the standpoint of public health.” That’s where voting by mail comes in.

President Trump has claimed voting by mail leads to fraud.

“I think that kind of misinformation is dangerous,” Simon said. “We’ve had absentee voting by mail for decades and decades in Minnesota, it has never been controversial…. It’s puzzling, it’s disappointing and it’s dangerous to spread unfounded fear about something that has been so settled and so embraced by so many Minnesotans.”

For those who prefer to vote in person on Election Day, polling places will be “as clean, safe and healthy as possible,” Simon said. “We are bulk ordering and distributing, for every polling place in Minnesota, masks not only for the election judges but for voters. We will have hand sanitizer, we will have wipes, we will have protocols for everything from the use of pens to standing in line if there are lines.”

Another option is voting in person early, starting 46 days before Election Day. This can be done at a county election office and possibly at another location.

Voting by mail has the advantage of convenience. “You can vote while you’re on your couch or eating breakfast,” Simon said.

***

There are three main ways to vote: early in person, on election day in person, or by mail. For more information, visit: mnvotes.org.

 (American Jewish World, July 2020)

Related Posts

Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84
Minnesota

Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

May 21, 2023
Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67
Minnesota

Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

May 21, 2023
Editorial: A mosque is like a synagogue
Editorial

Editorial: A mosque is like a synagogue

May 21, 2023
Israel, ‘an almost magical story’
Books & Literature

Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

May 19, 2023
Vic Rosenthal was a tireless organizer for social justice
Minnesota

Vic Rosenthal was a tireless organizer for social justice

April 20, 2023
Holocaust, genocide education bill progresses in Legislature
Minnesota

Holocaust, genocide education bill progresses in Legislature

April 20, 2023
Next Post

Powderhorn Sanctuary

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECENT ARTICLES

Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

Shoah survivor, fundraiser Francelyne Lurie dies at 84

May 21, 2023
Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

Temple Israel’s Rabbi Simeon ‘Sim’ Glaser dies at 67

May 21, 2023
Editorial: A mosque is like a synagogue

Editorial: A mosque is like a synagogue

May 21, 2023
Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

Israel, ‘an almost magical story’

May 19, 2023
Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

Set a place for Andrew Zimmern at the dinner table

May 19, 2023

About

Since 1912 the AJW has served as an important news resource for the Jewish community. The Jewish World unites the main Jewish communities in St. Paul and Minneapolis, as well as those in Duluth, Rochester and smaller cities, and bridges the divides between the various Jewish religious streams.

Quick Links

  • About the AJW
  • Advertising Information
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Subscription Information
  • Jewish Community Directory

Contact Us

The American Jewish World
3249 Hennepin Ave., Suite 245
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Tel: 612.824.0030 / Fax: 612.823.0753
editor@ajwnews.com

  • Buy JNews
  • Landing Page
  • Documentation
  • Support Forum

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
  • News
  • Food
  • Health & Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Opinion

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.