The joy of voting

Debi Mattson, a second-grade teacher at Lake Harriet Community School in Minneapolis, prepared her class to take part in the Kids Voting demonstration program by letting them vote recently on a few fun classroom issues. One vote decided whether the kids would get extra outdoor recess, get extra indoor recess, or open the classroom's prize box. The prize box won convincingly.

'It's your civic duty'

Newlyweds Hannah and Tess Luedoble of Bloomington cast their ballots at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Hannah Luedoble said she never misses an election.

"It's your civic duty," said Luedoble, 27. "I make sure I vote in every single election. I'm a first-generation American, so no one else in my family can vote. This is the only way I can make sure my family is represented."

Why they volunteer

Three election judges at one Richfield polling place all had different reasons for volunteering.

Andy May was a frustrated voter who thought the process could be handled more efficiently. He's now been a judge 12 times.

Spencer Bergen is a senior at Richfield High School and volunteered as part of a project for history class.

Daniel Leslie, also a first-time judge, is recently retired and took his wife's suggestion to volunteer.

In and out of a jam

In Minneapolis, a scanning machine jammed repeatedly at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Ward 13, Precinct 5. The machine malfunctioned around 8:30 a.m. and was fixed by about 11 a.m. Voting officials are trained for the situation and followed all procedures, said Shirley Janssen, head election judge.

About 100 ballots cast while the machine was out of service were placed in a locked, guarded auxiliary box. When the machine was back in service, the ballots were fed into the scanner under the watch of observers from both political parties. No ballots were spoiled and no votes were lost, Janssen said.

John Reinan • 612-673-7402