Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, Simon partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair.

In his inaugural address on January 5, 2015, Simon pledged to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota. Following that pledge, Simon joined Jill Riley on The Current Morning Show to answer some important questions about the voting process on Election Day. Use the audio player above to listen to the interview, and find a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Jill Riley: You're listening to The Current; I'm Jill Riley. Well, we're here. It's Election Day, and Minnesotans are making their way to the polls. And if you've got questions about the voting process, we've got someone on the line that will be able to answer those questions. Joining me now on The Current's Morning Show is Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us on The Current.

Steve Simon: My pleasure. Happy Election Day to all who celebrate.

Jill Riley: So if we could just start with your position. We really wanted to call on the authority on such things today. What is the job of the Secretary of State of Minnesota?

Steve Simon: Yeah, well, so the big one is that we oversee the Minnesota election system. First, let me say what that doesn't mean. We do not count votes in our office. We don't touch anyone's physical ballot. That all happens at the local level, at counties, at cities and towns. But what we do is we coordinate that whole effort, everything from certifying the elections equipment to doing the post-election reviews and audits, to doing a lot of work at the legislature to try to improve and perfect the law. So we like to say we're in the democracy business.

Jill Riley: Ah! Well, it is Election Day. There are many people who know where to go to cast their ballot. But if someone doesn't know how, I know there are a lot of people that turned 18 this year and get to vote for the first time in the election. Or I talked to someone at the Minnesota State Fair who had just become a citizen. So this is going to be a very new process. How does one find their polling place?

Steve Simon: Yeah, a great way is our website. That's mnvotes.gov, super simple. You'll see it right there on the homepage. You just type in your address and up pops your polling place location. 

Jill Riley: And the polls are open now. How long are the polls open today?

Steve Simon: They're open till 8 p.m., and I should add, if you're there by 8 p.m., like even if there's a small line and you're in line, you're good to go, as long as you're there by 8 p.m.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Minnesota works a little bit different than other states when it comes to voter registration. How does the registration law differ here than in other states? You know, we have same-day registration. So what does that mean?

Steve Simon: It means kind of what it sounds like, which is, unlike most of the rest of America, you can register to vote on game day. There's no cutoff. In most states, there is. No cutoff. Today is as good a day as any to do it. And what does registration really mean? It's two common sense things: It just means you've got to show that you are who you say you are, and you live where you say you live. And fortunately, and you can find this out on mnvotes.gov, we have a long and flexible list of things you can use to show either or both of those. Sure, it could be a driver's license, but not everyone has one, or if they do, maybe it shows an old address on it. So consult that website, mnvotes.gov, for the long list, quite flexible, as I say, of things you can use to show either or both of those things.

Jill Riley: And how long does it take to vote for someone that is new to the process? Maybe it depends on the polling place, how busy one is to the next. But once you have that ballot in hand, really, how long does it take? 

Steve Simon: Oh, once you have the actual ballot in your hand? 

Jill Riley: Yeah!

Steve Simon: You know, there are a lot of contests on that ballot. Everyone knows we're voting for president. Everyone with a pulse knows that that's going on. But obviously there are a lot of other contests on the ballot, and so it's really up to any individual voter. There's no time limit. I always remind people that voting is like an open-book exam. You can bring anything you want in there. If you wanted to bring a stack of books in there, I guess you could, but don't worry about bringing anything in to help you. You can do that. But it really it depends on the voter, right? Maybe they know exactly who they're going to vote for or not vote for. Maybe they need some time as they're standing there to Google a candidate or something like that. That's OK, but there's no fixed limit. But I would say, you know, a few minutes. That's not super precise, but it really depends on the voter, once they get that ballot.

Jill Riley: And I've I have found it handy to look at my sample ballot. When I punch in my address at the website, at the Secretary of State website, it's kind of nice to get a look at the thing ahead of time, because, I mean, maybe people don't realize that you can see your ballot ahead of game day.

Steve Simon: Absolutely. I'm so glad you mentioned that. I get this a lot. People will say, "Well, of course, I know the presidency is on the line, but are we even voting in my area on county commissioner or state house or whatever?" So on that same feature, you put in your address and up will pop a printable sample ballot, which lists all the contests and the candidates for those contests. And you can print it out. You can fill it out beforehand or not. You can take it into the polling place with you or not. As I mentioned, you can take anything you want into the polling place. It's an open-book exam.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Today is Election Day. Now, before I let you go, Mr. Secretary, what would you say to someone who is on the fence about voting in the election today?

Steve Simon: Oh yeah. Look, your vote is your voice. OK? You've heard that before. But what I will tell you is, in addition to all the sort of good-deed reasons for voting — and there are many, and they're great — the other reason to vote is it is in your personal, naked self-interest to vote. Why? Because people in communities that vote tend to get attention, and when you tend to get attention, you tend to get more of you want. It's not a slam-dunk every time, all the time. Of course, I'd be foolish to say that. But look, if you're playing the odds in life, your odds are much better of getting attention and much better of getting some of the stuff you want if you vote. If you don't vote, you are giving people in power an excuse to ignore you. They might not have needed it anyway. Now you're handing them an excuse to completely ignore you. You're not making a statement. You're not striking a blow for a cause. You may think you are; you're not. They're not listening. Instead, you're giving someone an excuse to ignore you. Don't do it! Step into your power. Stand up. Step up. Be a voter.

Jill Riley: Yeah, and it's having a voice on the national level, the state level, but then also on that, what I tend to think, "Oh, well, it's the smaller scale," but really starting that in one's own community.

Steve Simon: Absolutely. Those local races are where our lives, day to day, are arguably much more affected than they are by some of the higher-up races. I mean, these are everyday issues like street plowing and garbage collection and zoning and things like that. So I just hope people won't neglect those contests as well.

Jill Riley: You are listening to The Current's Morning Show. It is Election Day. I've been joined by Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Hey, thank you for taking the time to speak with us this morning on Election Day, Mr. Secretary. Appreciate your time and happy Election Day. 

Steve Simon: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Jill Riley: Thank you. Again, Steve Simon is Secretary of State for the state of Minnesota. Thank you for joining us.

External Links

Minnesota Elections & Voting (mnvotes.gov) – Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State

The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon homepage