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Elections & Voter Services
Safe and convenient access to your ballot.
Our role and goal is to provide an essential public service, assist our neighbors navigate the process of voting, hold an added level of trust and security, remain non-partisan and impartial, and act within the laws and rules currently in place.
election judges
Election judges are temporary workers trained to handle all aspects of voting. Serving as an election judge is a chance to learn about elections, and is a great service to the community.
Each election, the City of Mendota Heights needs nearly 100 people to serve as election judges at the primary and general elections, as well as in absentee voting roles. On the day of the election, judges work a half shift of about 8 hours or a full shift of about 16 hours.
If selected to serve in the upcoming election, you will be required to complete two hours of paid, online training through a platform called iTacit that is managed by Dakota County. Individuals serving as head judges are required complete additional training to prepare them for scenarios that may occur on Election Day.
compensation
State law 204B.195 allows election judges to be excused from work to serve (and vote) without loss of pay. The employee must provide their employer with 20 days’ written notice. Election judges are compensated by the city for their service $13-$17 per hour, unless they opt to volunteer their time.
eligibility
✔ You must be eligible to vote in Minnesota and able to read, write and speak English.
✔ Students aged 16 and 17 years may serve as election judge trainees.
✖ You may not serve as an election judge together at the same precinct with a relative (spouse, parent, step-parent, child, step-child, sibling, or step-sibling).
✖ You may not serve as an election judge if you are a relative of, or temporarily or permanently live in the same household of, a candidate who appears on the ballot for election in that precinct.
positions
Election judges may serve in a variety of capacities in the days leading up to the election and on Election Day. Duties on Election Day include opening and closing the polls, greeting voters, setting up polling equipment, checking in registered voters, registering new voters, and distributing ballots. The following positions are needed to administer elections:
- Election judges serve at an assigned polling place in roles like greeter, ballot table, ballot counter, registration (ePollPad). The compensation rate for election judges is $13.00 per hour.
- Head election judges provide leadership and supervision at their assigned polling place with two head judges assigned to each. The compensation rate for head election judges is $17.00 per hour.
- Absentee judges serve during the early voting (absentee) periods before Election Day and are scheduled to serve on the Absentee Ballot Board and to process absentee ballot applications during regular city hall business hours. Some absentee judges are also needed to process absentee ballots at City Hall on Election Day. The compensation rate for absentee election judges is $17.00 per hour.
apply
Submit your Election Judge Application to the city clerk. For more information on serving as an election judge:
Presidential Nomination Primary
Tuesday, March 5 , 2024
Only presidential candidates from a major party will appear on the presidential primary ballot.
Primary
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
A primary election determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election.
General
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Register to Vote
Register at least 20 days prior to election day for your name to appear on the voting roster saving you time at the polling place. Registration must use your current name and address. Re-register after a move or name change.
Online
Register online (or update registration)
Complete a paper application (PDF) and submit by mail
In-Person
On election day at your polling place with proof of residence
You can vote on your own time by casting an absentee ballot prior to Election Day. Absentee voting means voting by mail or in person before Election Day instead of at the polling place.
You will receive a Voter Registration Application with your absentee ballot if you are not already pre-registered to vote.
Request an Absentee Ballot
Absentee ballots are ready 46 days before an election. Any voter may vote absentee.
Online
Voters can Request an Absentee Ballot Online. Election officials will mail a ballot to the voter a few days after they receive and process the online application.
Voters can request an absentee ballot by mailing or faxing a paper Absentee Ballot Application (PDF) to their local election office. Election officials will mail a ballot to the voter a few days after they receive and process the application.
In-Person
Residents wishing to vote absentee in-person can obtain a ballot from the following locations:
- Mendota Heights City Hall
- Dakota County Northern Service Center
- Dakota County Administration Center
- Dakota County Western Service Center
Return an Absentee Ballot
Do not take your absentee ballot with you to the voting precinct on Election Day. Follow the instructions carefully and return by:
In the prepaid envelope that came with the ballot. The ballot must be received by election day.
Drop Box
Mendota Heights Ballot Drop Box is for Mendota Heights residents only; voters may only return ballots to a drop box operated by the county or city they live in. The ballot drop box is monitored by 24-hour video surveillance. Voters must only drop their own ballot in the drop box.
In-Person
Residents wishing to vote absentee in-person can return their ballot the following locations:
- Mendota Heights City Hall
- Dakota County Northern Service Center
- Dakota County Administration Center
- Dakota County Western Service Center
Visit the Secretary of State's Polling Place Finder to find your polling place.
View a precinct map (PDF) to locate precinct boundaries and the voting locations. Note that congressional and state legislative boundaries have been updated through the redistricting process. Redistricting is required after each U.S. census to make the election districts more equal in population. The Minnesota Special Redistricting Panel released the congressional and legislative redistricting plan on February 15, 2022. Some residents will have a new voting location, since a minor adjustment to the precinct lines between Precincts 3 and 4 was made.
The new Redistricting Plan places the entire city of Mendota Heights in Congressional District 2, the same as the previous plan. For the state districts, the city is now divided into two state senate districts, which are districts 52 and 53. The city will continue to be in two legislative districts as before, although the boundaries of the districts have changed. The breakout of the districts is as follows:
- Mendota Heights Precinct 1 – State Senate District 53; Legislative District 53A
- Mendota Heights Precincts 2, 3, 4, and 5 – State Senate District 52; Legislative District 52B
You can also use the Polling Place Finder on the Secretary of State’s website to find your voting location
campaign signs
Regulatory information about signs is available at the Minnesota Secretary of State, Mendota Heights City Code 12-1D-15 G. , Dakota County, and Minnesota Law.
yes
Signs can be placed 46 days before the state primary election on your own private property. Remove the signs within 10 days of the election.
no
Signs in these areas not allowed will be removed:
- on public (city/county/state/federal) property, like boulevards and road right-of-way, along highways, in parks, on school grounds, etc.
- within 100 feet of a polling place.
- on private property without owner permission.
file for office
Mayor and City Council offices are non-partisan roles with no party affiliation or bias. Requirements to be a candidate:
- must be eligible to vote in Minnesota
- must be 21 years of age or older upon assuming office
- must live in Mendota Heights for at least 30 days before the general election
- must have not filed for another office at the upcoming primary or general election
Candidates are placed on a ballot in Minnesota after they file for office. Complete an affidavit of candidacy and pay a filing fee to the appropriate filing officer during the two-week filing period.
Visit the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for more information on filing for office.
financial reports
Minnesota Statute 211A requires candidates filing for municipal office to file a campaign financial report with the City Clerk 14-days after contributions/disbursements over $750. Candidates continue to file reports when the candidate name or a ballot question appears on the ballot:
- 10-days before the primary election
- 10-days before the general election
- 30-days after a general election
- by January 31 following the initial report
- until debts and assets are less than $100
Visit the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for more information on financial filing.
election day law
Minnesota Statute 204C lists the only persons allowed in a polling place:
- voters and their minor children
- persons registering to vote
- vouchers in process of vouching
- persons assisting a voter at that voter's request
- representatives of the Secretary of State, County Auditor, City Clerk's office
- election workers
- credentialed media
Appointed challengers are authorized and must take an oath that they personally know a specific person is not eligible to vote for a specific reason. Challengers take the oath and complete an oath form that documents the challenger's name, signature, telephone number, and address.
Poll watchers are not authorized to be present in a polling place in Minnesota.
Districts
Legislative district lines are redrawn every ten years, following the decennial U.S. Census. Each state uses the census data to draw its legislative boundaries. The Minnesota Constitution states that the size of the Legislature must be prescribed by law and the courts have held that each district must be nearly equal in population size.
To find your representatives, visit the Minnesota State Legislature.
All precincts
- U.S. Congressional District 2
- Dakota County Commissioner District 3
Precinct 1
- MN Senate District 53
- MN Legislative District 53A
Precincts 2, 3, 4, 5
- MN Senate District 52
- MN Legislative District 52B