Election day (Tuesday, November 4) is just over three weeks away.  Now is the time to remind employees of the importance of voting.  For younger employees and those working their first job, this may be their first opportunity to go to their polling place.  Support the retail vote and Minnesota's traditionally high voter turnout by encouraging your employees to vote.

The Minnesota Secretary of State hosts several resources to make it easy for first-time and long-time voters.  As a first step, consider reminding your employees of their opportunity to vote and encourage them to do so!

Provided below is a sample memo to employees:

"Election Day is approaching, and we encourage all eligible employees to participate in our democratic process and vote on Tuesday, November 4.

This is a significant election year: Minnesotans will elect a U.S. Senator, U.S. House Representatives, Minnesota House representatives, Governor and state officers, and many important county and local officers.

A source for your all voting needs is the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State's mnvotes.org - where you can register to vote, request an absentee ballot, view your sample ballot, find your polling place location, and more. Another resource to guide you through the voting process in Minnesota is this two minute video, Election Year in Minnesota,.

Employees have certain rights when it comes to voting and their schedule.  If needed, please discuss your work schedule with your supervisor. Most polling places are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You also may vote early with an absentee ballot and avoid the lines at your polling place on Election Day.

The voting pre-registration deadline is October 14 for the November 4 General Election. You can register or update your registration online at mnvotes.org. You may also register at your polling place on Election Day.

Thank you for keeping Minnesota number-one in the nation for voter turnout."

Governor Mark Dayton recognized Minnesota-based Best Buy Thursday for recycling 1 billion pounds of electronics waste and appliances at a celebration at the retailer's campus in Richfield.
 
The Governor thanked Best Buy e-waste recycling champions and CEO Hubert Joly, who likened 1 billion pounds of e-waste to 67,000 elephants, five Eiffel Towers, or 200 statues of Paul Bunyan.
 
"Best Buy is an industry leader in helping consumers to recycle their old electronics," said Governor Dayton. "Their efforts are good for Minnesota's environment and consumers. I thank Best Buy for their outstanding leadership and for their continuing commitment to responsible environmental stewardship."
 
"Best Buy's leadership in helping Minnesotans and consumers across the country recycle is a fantastic example of how retailers step up to solve problems. This voluntary effort and similar initiatives by retailers in many of our communities are making a difference," said Minnesota Retailers Association President Bruce Nustad following the event. "Today's achievement is a strong reminder that together retailers, consumers and communities do great things."
 
At Thursday's celebration, Best Buy announced its next goal in e-waste recycling: 2 billion pounds by 2020.

During last week's Minnesota Retailers Association Board meeting, Board Chair Mike Hiltner (Best Buy) recognized and thanked Sen. Kari Dziedzic for her work with retailers on a mobile device acquisition bill passed during the 2014 legislative session. 

In recognizing Sen. Dziedzic, Hiltner shared these comments:

"During the 2014 legislative session, Senator Kari Dziedzic worked closely with retailers and MnRA as she crafted a bill designed to reign in mobile device theft and related violence in Minnesota.

MnRA recognizes Sen. Dziedzic for engaging retailers on her mobile device acquisition bill and working with the industry to protect responsible retailers.

Today we thank Sen. Dziedzic for successful collaboration with the retail industry."

Thank you Sen. Dziedzic for your partnership!