Your questions, answered

Thank you for sending your questions last week! We talked to our journalists, dug a little and found answers to some of them here.

1. What determines the order of the candidates on the ballot? According to the website of the Minnesota Secretary of State, the candidates of the major parties are "listed in the reverse order of their average vote in the last election. Thus, if a DFL candidate won a job in the last election, the Republican candidate would be first on the current ballot, and vice versa. Candidates of minor parties are listed in a random order assigned by lot. For non-partisan races, a "candidate rotation algorithm" described in the Minnesota laws is applied to change the order of appearance of candidates in constituencies, so that the names appear in the same position to about the same number of times.
2. Why does not everyone vote? Although Minnesota regularly leads the list for voter turnout, there are many reasons for not voting, such as working, lack of transportation, confusion or apathy. In some states, people are excluded from the voter's role and can not re-register in time to vote. National Public Radio has explained why people do not vote in September. In Minnesota, voters can register at their advance polls or polling stations on polling day. Therefore, if you are not yet registered, you will still be able to vote. More info here.
3. What are the positions of the candidates for governorship on the environment and climate change? LDF candidate Tim Walz has a section on his campaign website describing his climate program. The "issues" page of Republican candidate Jeff Johnson's website mentions "the environment" in the context of copper and nickel mines. During the debate, Johnson acknowledged that climate change was real and presented himself as an advocate for nature, but he challenged the idea that the government must respond to climate issues. Johnson tweeted in August that he wants to "protect the environment, but I am NOT interested in making people's lives more difficult for politicians to feel good about. This is my position. The Johnson campaign did not respond to a request for details on the specific climate policies it endorses.
4. Why does the Star Tribune endorse? The endorsements of the candidates are strictly a product of the editorial pages. They do not reflect the views of the newsroom. Journalists and editors in the newsroom never have the slightest influence on the mentions. You can read how and why the Star Tribune Editorial Board endorses here.
5. Where is the Voter Guide used by the Star Tribune to prepare for the previous election? We are doing something a little different this year. Rather than a comprehensive guide for voters, we have focused our efforts on creating a suite of digital tools and products (including this one!) Designed to equip Minnesota residents for polling day. You've seen a lot, and you'll see more, in our weekly column Be a Better Elector.
6. How can we be sure that our ballot accurately reflects our vote and that the machines are accurate? In Sunday's Star Tribune, Judy Keen recounted efforts to win elections in Minnesota. Ben Petok, spokesman for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, also shared several other points about election security. For example, on polling day, the polling station judges of the main political parties of the two main political parties verify that the number of votes cast corresponds to the number of voters before their departure for the night. All voters must swear that they have the right to vote, including by reading an oath, on pain of felony. And extra precautions are taken to ensure that absent voters can vote only once.

Three things to do

1. Find your polling location: Of course, we know you've done that already, but to be sure, visit the Secretary of State's website to find your polling place.
2. Make sure to be registered to vote: Check your registration status here. If you are not registered, do not worry! You can still register at your advance polling station (check the website of your county's election council) or at your polling station on polling day. Here's what you need to bring with you.
3. Let us know about the voting problems you are having: The Star Tribune participates in ProPublica's Electionland project to monitor and report any voting problems around the nation on polling day. We are looking for any problem that prevents people from voting – such as long lines, registration problems, purging voters' lists, broken machines, intimidation of voters and change of polling place. To tell us how your voting experience has gone, or to tell us if you're having difficulties that prevent you or others from voting, here's how to register.

You just joined us?

If you've just joined us, do not forget to check out previous versions of our Be a Better Voter series to let you know before polling day:

1. Week 1: Register and stay informed: A few small steps now allow you to stay informed of the latest news until polling day. Learn more about how to sign up, write deadlines on your calendar and make sure you're ready to vote when the time comes. Visit week 1 here.
2. Week 2: Getting to know the candidates: There are many more candidates than those you hear about. Explore tools to find out about successful candidates and those who come to local offices near you. Visit week 2 here.
3. Week 3: campaign financing: All the political ads you see on TV are expensive. Learn about the money that candidates collect and spend, who gives it to them and what it means. Visit week 3 here.
4. Week 4: Learn to read polls: There are a lot of polls in key races (including some of ours here at the Star Tribune) – but it's an art to read and interpret them. Visit week 4 here to find out how.

Resources

Our journalists worked tirelessly during this election period by creating tools and resources to help you make your decision in November. Discover them here: