Minnesota Secretary of State visits campus

Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State, visited St. Ben’s campus on Sept. 17 during National Voter Registration Day. Johnnie Bennie Media led the interview with him. Hosts Ben Bugbee and Dasha Gray asked Simon a number of questions about voting. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and with many college students voting in this election cycle, including many students voting by mail, Simon sought to spread the word about important voting information for young people living in Minnesota.

“Many and most students will probably vote by mail,” Simon said.

Minnesota has some key features in their voter registration and mail in the ballot system. There are two options when it comes to voting. “In Minnesota, you can register to vote on election day. There are no cut offs in Minnesota, whereas many other states do put a deadline on when to register. Absentee voting starts on Friday. There is in-person voting and voting by mail. If you vote by mail, the deadline is that you have to have the ballot back by election day,” said Simon. People registering to vote in Minnesota do not have to declare what party they are voting for and are not confined to voting only in their chosen party, voters may choose from across the ballot. Simon said that people in 32 out of 50 states in the United States must register by party when registering to vote, but in Minnesota, there is no enforcement by party.

According to Simon, Minnesota is one of the best states in the nation for young voters.

“Our record is good in Minnesota. In 2022, we were third in the country among 18–29-year-olds who voted,” Simon said.

Simon also emphasized the role education plays in getting students to vote.

“ Colleges and universities can do a lot to increase this more. One way to do so is by spreading the word about elections, emphasizing things like National Voter Registration Day, enlisting administration to partake in this, which CSB+SJU does well with already. Beyond the rules, it is important to talk about why someone should vote. Having those intentional conversations, that proves real success,” Simon said.

According to Simon, voting rhetoric among youth needs to expand beyond the “good deed” sentiment of civic duty. Simon noted that young and student voters benefit from voting.

“Communities that vote get more attention. If younger people voted, they would get a lot more attention for the issues they care about. You will get more of the stuff you want,” Simon said.

The importance of voting is often a question raised during elections.

“Your vote is your voice,” Simon said. “I sort of look at the difference between not voting and voting with being a passenger on a ship or being someone who is helping steer the ship. Voting is in your self-interest.”

Important dates to mark on your calendar include this Friday, when early voting with absentee ballots begins, and Nov 5, when in-person voting occurs and absentee ballots need to be received by the government. Go to MNVotes.gov for more information on voting.

During a particularly contentious election year Simon has “…two big wishes: high turnout and low drama. And what I mean about low drama is learning to agree to disagree. I am confident about high turnout, what I am rooting for is low drama. We are all Americans and Minnesotans; we have to put that first and foremost in our minds.”