By Lori EhdeRock County Auditor-Treasurer Gloria Rolfs said the pace in her office is picking up with Tuesday’s general elections fast approaching."It is an exciting time — yes it is. It’s a fun time," she said Tuesday. "It’s interesting to see people getting excited about voting."Already her office in the Rock County Courthouse has processed 350 absentee ballots as of Tuesday afternoon. Two years ago, 380 people voted absentee by election day. "So, we’re going to surpass that by I’d say 50 to 75 votes," Rolfs said.Minnesota residents can vote by absentee ballot until 5 p.m. Monday. The courthouse will be open from 10 to 3 p.m. to accommodate absentee voters.If absentee ballots are any indication, Rolfs said she’s expecting high voter turnout this year — even higher than last year’s 84 percent local participation."I look for that percentage and better this year — I’d say 15 percent better — because of our local races, and it’s a presidential election," Rolfs said. "It’s a presidential election this year, and people really do come out for presidential elections."The 2000 presidential election brought 90 percent of registered Rock County voters to the polls.Rolfs said residents should keep a few things in mind about the voting process."They can still vote on election day, even if they’re not registered," she said. Because Rock County residents view so much South Dakota television, Rolfs said she fears they’ll get the message that voters here need to register ahead, just as they do in South Dakota."In Minnesota you can still register at the polls and vote on election day," she said. Voters need to bring a photo I.D. (preferably a driver’s license) or a utility bill with a current address to prove they’ve been Minnesota residents for at least the past 20 days. See page 6A for a sample ballot listing of candidates and polling times and places. All polling stations close at 8 p.m. Tuesday."Please go vote. I really advise people to vote, because that way they’ve voiced their opinion," Rolf said.She can be reached at 283-5060 if residents have questions about the voting process.Be an educated voterThe Star Herald this week features stories about state and congressional candidates, and last week’s paper profiled candidates for Luverne School Board, City Council and Luverne mayor.The Minnesota League of Women Voters each year puts out a voters’ guide that offers Q&A-style information on candidates in all the races. Their site is www.lwvmn.org. From their home page, click on "voting and election information" and then on "2004 election information," which offers candidate information specific to each voter’s address.The Minnesota Secretary of State Web site offers candidate information as well as links to candidates’ web sites. That site is www.sos.state.mn.us.Other good, non-biased sources for voter guides can be found at the Minnesota Newspaper Association site, www.mnnewspapernet.org.Click on the red, white and blue "vote" button toward the bottom of the page to link to the Q&A style information on Minnesota candidates.The St. Paul Pioneer Press, www.twincities.com, and Minneapolis Star Tribune, www.startribune.com, also publish voters’ guides.
