NEW from MNCDHH - "Introduction to Voting" Video Series

Published 10-15-2012

The photo above is of Video 1 of 4: The Importance of Voting, with Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, an ASL narrator, and a text caption that reads “Most important of all, I encourage you to get out and vote.”

Introduction to the Video Series

There’s more to voting than marking a ballot! The Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (MNCDHH) and the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (OSS) are proud to present the new “Minnesota Votes: Introduction to Voting” video series, which is based on the popular and successful “MNVOTES: Introduction to Voting” workshop.

Our goal is to make sure that all voters have equal access to voter education and participation. This free and accessible video series can be viewed online anywhere, anytime.

New voters can learn about voting, including how to get registered, informed, and involved, and experienced voters can refresh their knowledge. This video series can also be used by those who want to provide voter education, including teachers, parents, and volunteers.

The series is accessible through American Sign Language (ASL), captions, voiceovers, and text and Microsoft Word transcripts of audio content with video descriptions included.

There are 4 parts:

1. The Importance of Voting by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie
2. Get Registered
3. Get Informed, Get Involved
4. Get Out and Vote!

Why You Should Watch – Comments from our Volunteer Voters

We had a wonderful group of real-life voters who demonstrated what it is like to vote on Election Day for the video series, and we got some nice quotes from them about why you should watch!

• Minnesota law requires all polling places to be fully accessible. I’m a blind voter and I am pleased that this video series discusses the use of accessible voting equipment that can benefit many Minnesotans, such as the AutoMark ballot-marking device. David Andrews, chief technology officer at State Services for the Blind
• As a co-director of Advocating Change Together and as a long-time proponent of disability rights and self-advocacy, I hope that this video series will encourage Minnesotans to work on full inclusion in voter participation. Rick Cardenas, co-director of Advocating Change Together
• DeafBlind people will have their own in-person workshop on voting, but for DeafBlind people who have some vision, this series provides helpful information on how to vote, what your voting rights and responsibilities are, and what to expect when you go to the polls on Election Day. I encourage everyone to watch it. John Lee Clark, writer and MNCDHH board member
• As a lifelong voter and current deaf election judge, I encourage all members of the Deaf community to view this great video series that explains the who, why and how of voting. I am proud to be a part of it. Emory Dively, pastor at Highland Park Deaf Church
• As a teacher in adult basic education who specializes in Citizenship and Civics, I was thrilled that I and my deaf and hard of hearing students could take part in this important video series. I hope that everybody will use it to help new voters get ready to vote. Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn, teacher at Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.
• Having spent much of my life in the world of elected and appointed service, politics and political campaigns, I have lived the democratic process and understand that the act of voting is paramount. However, this video series not only encourages citizens to vote, but gives them good ideas on how to get involved in other ways. John Wodele, owner of Wodele Creative and MNCDHH board member

Acknowledgements and Credits

The Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (MNCDHH) and the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (OSS) want to express our big thanks to everybody who was involved in this exciting voter education video project!

Special thanks go to:

• The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (OSS) for their support of this project, and especially to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and MNVOTES workshop presenter Claire Wilson for their participation in the video series. They did a wonderful job!
• All the volunteers who were willing to be filmed for the video. Their participation was really important to the success of this project!
• The real-life voters from diverse backgrounds and experiences who were willing to spend several hours at a mock polling (voting) place to help demonstrate what it is like to vote on Election Day. Their enthusiasm was amazing! The new and experienced voters who volunteered include:
  • Claire Alexander
  • David Andrews
  • Rick Cardenas
  • John Lee Clark
  • Martha Davies
  • Emory Dively
  • Margaret Endres
  • Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn
  • Nadine Grippa
  • Larry Lubbers
  • Dawn Moder
  • Mai Vue
  • John Wodele
  • Peter Zenner

This video series was produced by ZenMation for MNCDHH and OSS.

This voter education video project was made possible by funding from OSS to promote voter education and participation in the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing community, and also by funding from MNCDHH.