Elections

Sample Ballot for November 6th Election

Unofficial Results for the Election 11/6/12

Eligibility to Run for Municipal Office

St. Charles
Public Notice
Notice of Candidate Filing

Eligibility to Run for Municipal Office:

Per Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Minnesota: Every person who by the provisions of this article is entitled to vote at any election and is twenty-one (21) years of age is eligible for any office elective by the people in the district wherein he has resided thirty days previous to the election, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution and law of the United States.

St. Charles municipal office candidates file at City Hall, located at 830 Whitewater Avenue. Each candidate receives a packet of financial and campaign information at the time of filing.

The following municipal offices will be included on the November 2012 ballot:

Mayor, two-year term
Council Member, four-year term
Council Member, four-year term

Treasurer, four-year term

Opening date for municipal candidate filing for office: July 31, 2012
Closing date for municipal candidate filing for office: August 14, 2012

Candidates for municipal elective office may withdraw by filing an affidavit of withdrawal with the city clerk before 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, 2012.

Candidates must fill out an Affidavit of Candidacy Form and pay a filing fee of $2.00.

If you have any questions, please contact City Hall at 507/932-3020.

Nick Koverman, City Administrator

7/10/12

Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Update

New Federal Law in the 2006 Election Season

Assistive Voting Technology (AVT) is a new voting technology which will be implemented throughout the United States as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). This technology will allow voters with disabilities (blind or deaf or have difficulty using a pen) to vote independently and privately.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, the certified Assistive Voting Technology is a ballot marking device called the ES & S AutoMARK which will mark the voter’s paper ballot. The State of Minnesota requires that all elections have a paper ballot as a “paper trail” for election recounts.

Voters in St. Charles/Winona County

All ballots voted in Winona County during the 2012 election, whether the voter uses a pen or the new ballot marking device, will be inserted into the ES & S M-100 precinct ballot counter.

What to Expect at the Polls

All voters receive the same paper ballot whether they will vote using an ink pen or ballot marking device. The ballot marking device allows voters with disabilities (blind or deaf or have difficulty using a pen) to vote privately and independently. Voters may use the ballot marking device to record their vote using the touch screen, touch pad or sip/puff tube.

The ballot marking device gives the voters the opportunity to review the votes selected, marks the approved votes on the paper ballot and then returns the marked ballot to the voter. Voters then insert their voted ballot into the ES & S M-100 precinct ballot counter used by all voters in the precinct. When the polls are closed, all votes are then tallied by the ballot counter to produce precinct election results.

All voters, whether they use a pen or the new ballot marking device, will mark their votes on a paper ballot which produces the paper trail necessary to allow for a precise audit of the election.

Voter Eligibility

You are eligible to register and vote in the City of St. Charles if you are:

at least 18 years old on the day of the election
a citizen of the United States
a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days before the election
You are not eligible to vote if you have been:
placed under guardianship "of the person" in district court
found by a court to be legally incompetent
convicted of a felony without having your civil rights restored

You may register to vote by mail or in person at one of the following locations:

City Hall
Winona County Courthouse

You may also register to vote when you apply for or renew your driver's license.

If you are currently registered to vote, you do not need to register again unless you have:

moved to a different address
changed your name
not voted at least once within the last four years

Election Day Registration

If you are not able to pre-register, you can register on election day. To do so, you must provide election judges at your polling location with certain acceptable forms of identification to prove your eligibility, such as:

A Minnesota Driver's License, Learner's Permit, or Identification Card with your current address (or the receipt for renewal or change of the license of i.d.).

A "Notice of Late Registration" received from your City Clerk if your voter registration card was received after the last day to pre-register.

One of the following documents that contains your name and photo: Minnesota driver's license or identification card with a previous address, US passport, US military identification card or student identification card from a Minnesota college AND a bill for electric, water, gas, telephone, cable TV, sewer or solid waste services with a due date within 30 days of the election that contains your name and current address.

Another registered voter living in your precinct who will come to the polling location with you to vouch for your residency.

If you are a college student, you may also use your college student identification card with your name and photo if your college has provided a list of students to the county.