Help me be an informed voter
From everyday questions to more complex problems, we’re asking the experts to lend us a hand. Throughout the series "Professional Help," we’ll hear some direct advice, for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Election Day is less than two weeks away, so the clock is ticking for voters to make decisions on local seats and ballot measures. MPR News producer Ellen Finn explored how you can make an informed choice on this week's episode of Professional Help.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELLEN FINN: Towns and cities across Minnesota will vote for a variety of local leadership seats on November 4. And even for journalists like me, who work in a newsroom and talk about local politics on the daily, it's still difficult to sift through what I'll see on my ballot when I show up to the polls in less than two weeks. Municipal elections can feel confusing or overwhelming to some people when there are so many races and not enough news coverage.
Local Parks and Rec commissioner? School board? I need some guidance. Luckily, I didn't have to go too far. Just a few cubicles away is my colleague, Anika Besst, who has been working on a thorough online guide for MPR News that you can customize based on your ballot. So she's here right now to walk me through it. Hi, Anika,
ANIKA BESST: Hi.
ELLEN FINN: So even for journalists like us, who are working in a newsroom every day, it's not totally obvious every single seat we'll get to vote for on November 4. Can you just give me a sampling across the state? What kinds of decisions will Minnesotans make on November 4?
ANIKA BESST: So last year was a presidential campaign, and next year is midterms. What that leaves this year is a bunch of municipal races, like you mentioned. For municipal races, there are a bunch of school board members across the state, as well as some city council races, mayors, Parks and Rec commissioner, like you mentioned, and races for a seat called member of Estimate and Taxation Board.
ELLEN FINN: We'll get into what all those are in a minute, but I just want to talk to you about why it's important to pay attention to all these smaller local elections. We get a lot of voter turnout when it's time to decide on a US president. But local elections determine the path of day-to-day issues across the board, from education to safety, transportation, housing, things like this. So how do you hope this guide empowers Minnesotans, Anika?
ANIKA BESST: I think it's really important to remember that local elections and local officials hold the power to shape the community. And a lot of people start in local positions, but then go to bigger seats later on. So it's nice to know these people who are running now.
And it's also very important to remember that every vote counts, especially in these smaller races, where it can be decided by just a couple of votes. So I really hope that these guides can help Minnesotans feel the most prepared for voting, but also informed about the people running to serve them, you know?
ELLEN FINN: Yeah. That's where the voter guide you helped create for MPR comes in, right? Why did you end up creating the guide, Anika?
ANIKA BESST: So first off, I love voter information.
ELLEN FINN: Oh, OK.
[LAUGHTER]
ANIKA BESST: So I have been super eager about this every year. We found that hearing about a candidate's background, goals, and their top interests was really simple, but effective when trying to gather the most information for our audience. We're focused on making the guide comprehensive, but concise, so our audience could fit it into their day without having to go down rabbit holes to find candidate responses. I mean, we've all been there. Everything on someone's ballot is just in one place that you can find. And we wanted it to cover all races, including the hyper-local ones, like we talked about. So it's kind of a one-stop shop for anything a voter might need.
ELLEN FINN: You're talking about these pretty nitty gritty details. What information is showing up on the guide?
ANIKA BESST: The voter guide uses a Build Your Ballot model. This means that you type in your address that you registered to vote with, and the races and ballot questions that you'll see on your ballot on Election Day come up. Not only are the types of races and candidates listed, but also the candidates' responses to three core questions.
ELLEN FINN: OK.
ANIKA BESST: Yep. They're, why are you running? What life or professional experiences led you to seek this position? And what are the top issues you're discussing with voters, and why? And there's also links to other coverage that we've done and that are in the community and also to the candidates' campaign website when it's applicable.
ELLEN FINN: OK. Another question that comes up a lot for the people who have the option is ranked choice voting. So what elections coming up will use that process? And can you explain a little bit more how ranked choice voting works?
ANIKA BESST: Oh, totally. Some cities that use ranked choice voting-- some of them have for a while-- are St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Bloomington, and Minneapolis. They could use ranked choice voting for mayors, city council members, and other local officials. It kind of depends on the city. But ranked choice voting allows voters to choose up to three candidates, and then you rank them first, second, and third choice.
The idea is that your top choice, if they lose by a long shot, your vote will still count towards your second choice. But ultimately, the biggest part to remember is that your first choice vote will be considered before any other candidates that you rank for second and third.
ELLEN FINN: OK, that makes sense. Thank you. I just want to run through how the guide works. Like when I open it up, what will I see?
ANIKA BESST: Yeah, I'll walk you through step by step. So first, you'll navigate to the Build Your Ballot on mprnews.org/vote. There, you will see a spot to enter your address. And then you press Find Ballot. That'll pop up the races and the candidates in your area. There's also an option at the top of the guide to email a copy of the ballot to yourself. I found that really nice when I was doing early voting, so then I didn't have to track down all the links or write a cheat sheet or anything like that. It was just right there in my email.
ELLEN FINN: What if MPR listeners and readers want to know more? Is there a place to send MPR News questions related to voting and the election?
ANIKA BESST: Yeah. So on that page, the Build Your Ballot page, as well as any of our election content, there's a spot to enter a question. You can send it there. And we will get back to you as soon as possible. That's also LinkedIn, all of that, so you should be able to find other people's questions, too.
ELLEN FINN: Well, Anika, thanks so much. Appreciate the info.
ANIKA BESST: Yeah, thank you.
NINA MOINI: A great public service. That was MPR News digital producer Anika Besst talking to Minnesota Now producer Ellen Finn.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ANNOUNCER: Programming is supported by the University of Minnesota. Three out of four Minnesota dentists recommend University of Minnesota's education. Search Minnesota's health care leader.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELLEN FINN: Towns and cities across Minnesota will vote for a variety of local leadership seats on November 4. And even for journalists like me, who work in a newsroom and talk about local politics on the daily, it's still difficult to sift through what I'll see on my ballot when I show up to the polls in less than two weeks. Municipal elections can feel confusing or overwhelming to some people when there are so many races and not enough news coverage.
Local Parks and Rec commissioner? School board? I need some guidance. Luckily, I didn't have to go too far. Just a few cubicles away is my colleague, Anika Besst, who has been working on a thorough online guide for MPR News that you can customize based on your ballot. So she's here right now to walk me through it. Hi, Anika,
ANIKA BESST: Hi.
ELLEN FINN: So even for journalists like us, who are working in a newsroom every day, it's not totally obvious every single seat we'll get to vote for on November 4. Can you just give me a sampling across the state? What kinds of decisions will Minnesotans make on November 4?
ANIKA BESST: So last year was a presidential campaign, and next year is midterms. What that leaves this year is a bunch of municipal races, like you mentioned. For municipal races, there are a bunch of school board members across the state, as well as some city council races, mayors, Parks and Rec commissioner, like you mentioned, and races for a seat called member of Estimate and Taxation Board.
ELLEN FINN: We'll get into what all those are in a minute, but I just want to talk to you about why it's important to pay attention to all these smaller local elections. We get a lot of voter turnout when it's time to decide on a US president. But local elections determine the path of day-to-day issues across the board, from education to safety, transportation, housing, things like this. So how do you hope this guide empowers Minnesotans, Anika?
ANIKA BESST: I think it's really important to remember that local elections and local officials hold the power to shape the community. And a lot of people start in local positions, but then go to bigger seats later on. So it's nice to know these people who are running now.
And it's also very important to remember that every vote counts, especially in these smaller races, where it can be decided by just a couple of votes. So I really hope that these guides can help Minnesotans feel the most prepared for voting, but also informed about the people running to serve them, you know?
ELLEN FINN: Yeah. That's where the voter guide you helped create for MPR comes in, right? Why did you end up creating the guide, Anika?
ANIKA BESST: So first off, I love voter information.
ELLEN FINN: Oh, OK.
[LAUGHTER]
ANIKA BESST: So I have been super eager about this every year. We found that hearing about a candidate's background, goals, and their top interests was really simple, but effective when trying to gather the most information for our audience. We're focused on making the guide comprehensive, but concise, so our audience could fit it into their day without having to go down rabbit holes to find candidate responses. I mean, we've all been there. Everything on someone's ballot is just in one place that you can find. And we wanted it to cover all races, including the hyper-local ones, like we talked about. So it's kind of a one-stop shop for anything a voter might need.
ELLEN FINN: You're talking about these pretty nitty gritty details. What information is showing up on the guide?
ANIKA BESST: The voter guide uses a Build Your Ballot model. This means that you type in your address that you registered to vote with, and the races and ballot questions that you'll see on your ballot on Election Day come up. Not only are the types of races and candidates listed, but also the candidates' responses to three core questions.
ELLEN FINN: OK.
ANIKA BESST: Yep. They're, why are you running? What life or professional experiences led you to seek this position? And what are the top issues you're discussing with voters, and why? And there's also links to other coverage that we've done and that are in the community and also to the candidates' campaign website when it's applicable.
ELLEN FINN: OK. Another question that comes up a lot for the people who have the option is ranked choice voting. So what elections coming up will use that process? And can you explain a little bit more how ranked choice voting works?
ANIKA BESST: Oh, totally. Some cities that use ranked choice voting-- some of them have for a while-- are St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Bloomington, and Minneapolis. They could use ranked choice voting for mayors, city council members, and other local officials. It kind of depends on the city. But ranked choice voting allows voters to choose up to three candidates, and then you rank them first, second, and third choice.
The idea is that your top choice, if they lose by a long shot, your vote will still count towards your second choice. But ultimately, the biggest part to remember is that your first choice vote will be considered before any other candidates that you rank for second and third.
ELLEN FINN: OK, that makes sense. Thank you. I just want to run through how the guide works. Like when I open it up, what will I see?
ANIKA BESST: Yeah, I'll walk you through step by step. So first, you'll navigate to the Build Your Ballot on mprnews.org/vote. There, you will see a spot to enter your address. And then you press Find Ballot. That'll pop up the races and the candidates in your area. There's also an option at the top of the guide to email a copy of the ballot to yourself. I found that really nice when I was doing early voting, so then I didn't have to track down all the links or write a cheat sheet or anything like that. It was just right there in my email.
ELLEN FINN: What if MPR listeners and readers want to know more? Is there a place to send MPR News questions related to voting and the election?
ANIKA BESST: Yeah. So on that page, the Build Your Ballot page, as well as any of our election content, there's a spot to enter a question. You can send it there. And we will get back to you as soon as possible. That's also LinkedIn, all of that, so you should be able to find other people's questions, too.
ELLEN FINN: Well, Anika, thanks so much. Appreciate the info.
ANIKA BESST: Yeah, thank you.
NINA MOINI: A great public service. That was MPR News digital producer Anika Besst talking to Minnesota Now producer Ellen Finn.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ANNOUNCER: Programming is supported by the University of Minnesota. Three out of four Minnesota dentists recommend University of Minnesota's education. Search Minnesota's health care leader.
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