For second election in a row, Mankato polling places change
Jul. 23—MANKATO — Mankato residents planning to vote the old-fashioned way in the upcoming elections Aug. 9 and Nov. 8 shouldn't assume they know where to go.
For the second straight election year, polling places have changed significantly, meaning many voters will be casting ballots in a different spot for the third consecutive time.
It's typical to see changes in an election year ending in 2 because redistricting happens after every census, forcing changes in precincts in cities that have city council wards or multiple legislative or county commissioner districts. Normally, voters can count on those polling places staying put for the next decade.
"Those polling places tend to get locked in," said Michael Stalberger, Blue Earth County's property and environmental resources director, who oversees elections throughout the county.
But after being mostly stable from 2012 through 2018, polling places moved to new locations for many voters in 2020 because of the raging coronavirus pandemic.
In some cases, traditional voting locations such as schools or residential facilities — Ecumen Pathstone Living and Minnesota State University residence halls, for instance — were dropped because of concerns that voters could bring the virus into those crowded facilities and infect students or residents.
Other longtime polling places were discontinued because they weren't in places that could accommodate curbside voting — a pandemic option where ballots were brought by election judges to the vehicles of people uncomfortable entering the building.
And in some instances, multiple polling places were consolidated in large buildings with lengthy climate-controlled interior hallways or spacious rooms. That allowed voters to line up — 6 feet apart — even during the busiest periods of Election Day without having to wait outside in the elements. Preferred polling places also tended to be laid out in a way that voters could enter through one door and leave through another to avoid bunching up at a shared entrance/exit.
When all was said and done, voters in 11 of 18 Mankato precincts voted in a different place in 2020 than they did in 2018. Now, many will be moving again.
Just seven sites were home to all of Mankato's precincts in the last general election. The consolidated locations — such as the five precincts voting in the former MRCI building two years ago and three precincts voting in both Christ the King Lutheran Church and the National Guard Armory — are now being spread out in the heart of various neighborhoods, usually in well-known buildings with ample parking and good accessibility for people with mobility challenges.
"We do have a few more locations that are stand-alone," Stalberger said.
No location in 2022 will be the polling place for more than two precincts.
Schools are still an allowable polling place under Minnesota's rules, but Stalberger didn't restore any of Mankato's K-12 schools to the list for this year. Another epidemic — school shootings — is the reason.
"We try to be respectful of some of the security measures they have in place," Stalberger said.
Postcards are slated to go out late this week or early next week to every household and every registered voter letting them know the name of their precinct and the place to go on Election Day. A map of Mankato's new precincts and the accompanying polling place is included with the online version of this story at mankatofreepress.com.
"Folks just need to be prepared — not make the assumption that since they've voted someplace for 10 years, they'll vote there again," he said.
And if people don't want to worry about Election Day voting, there's always the option of voting in advance. More information can be found at mnvotes.org. People living anywhere in Minnesota can also plug in their address on the site and find their precinct, their polling place and the races they see on their ballot.
