Elections raise questions for both longtime voters and first-timers. Then, the owner of a restaurant is sentenced in connection with the immigration raid earlier this year. And, the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame announces 12 inductees.
—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Jamad JamaAnchor: Chantel SinGsReader scripting: Victor Palomino Fact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Elections raise questions for both longtime voters and first-timers. Then, the owner of a restaurant is sentenced in connection with the immigration raid earlier this year. And the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame announces 12 inductees.
I'm Chantel SinGs.
A federal judge sentenced the owner of Las Cuatro Milpas restaurants in Bloomington and Minneapolis to eight months in prison for illegally re-entering the U.S. The man pleaded guilty earlier this month after federal agents raided his business in June, sparking protests along Lake Street. A judge said he weighed time served but imposed the prison term. After completing his sentence, the man will be deported to Mexico.
Next, elections raise questions for both longtime voters and first-timers. Over the coming weeks leading up to Election Day, we'll bring you a series of stories on how elections work in Minnesota. For the first story, Jamad Jama looks at how Minnesotans can register, find voter support, and cast their ballots.
Jamad Jama: Whether or not you're a seasoned voter, it's always worth going over the basics. On November 4, Minnesotans across the state will head to the polls. Knowing how to register, when to vote, and the ways you can cast your ballot can make all the difference.
Steve Simon: We have a very strong civic culture in Minnesota, and I think a lot of segments of our society who are really committed to making sure that people understand the importance of using their voice. I'm Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State.
Jamad Jama: Minnesota's system is designed to meet voters where they are, and that starts with offering different ways you can register.
Steve Simon: Voter registration basically means that you have to show you are who you say you are, and you live where you say you live. And in Minnesota, we have a long and flexible list of things you can use to show either or both of those things.
Jamad Jama: From there, Minnesotans have several routes to choose from.
Steve Simon: One is the old-fashioned way. Drop it off to a local election office in your city or in your county. The other thing you can do is to go to our website MNVotes.gov, and very quickly and very simply do that online. The third way you can do it is on election day itself.
Jamad Jama: That same-day registration means that Minnesotans can still vote even if they missed the deadline to register or move after the registration deadline. Voters who register on Election Day will need to bring identification and proof of address. And once you're registered, you have a couple options for actually casting your ballot.
Steve Simon: One is to vote in person before Election Day at either a county courthouse or city office. Or some people just don't want to go into a polling place. So to do that, any Minnesotan can go to MNVotes.gov and order the ballot to come to them.
Jamad Jama: And, of course, you can always vote in person. On election day, the polls will be open from 7am to 8pm.
Luna Allen-Bakerian: My name is Luna Allen-Bakerian. I'm the Director of Public Policy for Citizens League.
Jamad Jama: The Citizens League works to provide guidance to voters, strengthen civic engagement and reduce barriers.
Luna Allen-Bakerian: A great deal of our work means being a resource that people feel comfortable reaching out to, asking questions, being directed to other organizations.
Jamad Jama: Luna says the democratic process should be accessible for everyone.
Luna Allen-Bakerian: We know that folks in Greater Minnesota might face challenges with transportation, with polling place location, just delays based on broadband Internet access. There have been increased efforts to make sure that there are election judges, certainly in Greater Minnesota, which just means you are helping to support people in your community to vote on Election Day.
Jamad Jama: Election judges are community members who staff polling places on Election Day. They check voters in, explain the process and help those who need it. And in Greater Minnesota, having more election judges means better support to keep things running in smaller towns where resources can be more sparse. Voters who want to be ready for November can check eligibility and registration steps online@mnvotes.gov. For North Star Stories, I'm Jamad Jama.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
The Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame has named its first-ever class of 12 inductees, including Oneida educator Dan Ninham. Ninham dedicated his career to Native education and introducing Indigenous games into physical education. He's the only Indigenous citizen of the inaugural group and a nationally recognized expert on both the modern and traditional Native versions of the game. The Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame is a virtual museum dedicated to lacrosse history and the Native origins of the sport.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.