In the foreground, Jennifer Shultz holds ballot instructions while in the back, from L-R: Leah Thomas, Sherrie Lindskog and in the way back, Paulette Anholm work on preparing mail ballots in the Cook County commissioners’ room. Staff photo
Laughter and casual banter could be heard over the boxes of envelopes, boxes of instructions, boxes of ballots, boxes of stickers and boxes of other assorted papers that were spread across a vast array of tables in the Cook County Commissioners’ room this past week.
Four women spent three days steadily emptying the contents of those boxes, preparing mail ballots to be sent out to Cook County voters.
All in all, seven pieces of paper and three stickers were stuffed into each mail-in envelope. When completed, the ballots were sent to homes located in 13 precincts in the county. The Grand Marais precincts do not receive mail ballots.
A project like this could be tedious, but these women: Leah Thomas, Jennifer Shultz, Sherri Lindskog, and Paulette Anholm made the job fun. At the same time, they got a lot done, occasionally engaging in friendly conversation as they worked at a fast, steady pace.
“We are also election judges,” noted Thomas.
One topic they all discussed was the importance of filling out the ballots correctly before sending or bringing them in to be counted, and they asked for a few things to be highlighted.
When you receive your ballot, make sure to read the instructions carefully.
Only use a pen with black ink to mark your ballot.
Do not vote for more than one candidate.
Before signing the ballot, check the box of your political party on the envelope. If you do not check your political party name on the ballot you voted, your vote will not count. Also, if you return a different party ballot than what you indicated on the checkbox, your vote will not count.
Sign your ballot in front of a person registered to vote in Minnesota. This could be your spouse or a relative or a notary public. It could also be someone at the courthouse, just go to the Auditor’s Office window and tell them that you need a witness before you can sign your mail ballot.
If you have any questions, please call (218) 387- 3640.
Return your ballot, so it is received by Election Day, March 3, 2020. You can: 1) mail it, allowing for enough days for postal delivery, 2) deliver it in person to the courthouse by 8 p.m. on Election Day, or 3) ask a friend to bring it in person to the courthouse by Election Day. Any person bringing in ballots cannot bring in more than three ballots.
Leave a Reply