Miscommunication and unclear guidelines should not be the reason a studentâÄôs vote does not get counted. But that is exactly what happened on Election Day, when several students, who are residents of The Chateau, were turned away at the polls because the letters that building management provided, showing their rent statements as proof of residency, were not addressed to the residents, but instead used the salutation âÄúTo Whom It May Concern,âÄù according to the Daily. The miscommunication and unclear guidelines from the city are the result of an unnamed amount of residents of The Chateau not being able to cast their ballots, especially in an election that sent the Senate race into a recount. According to Minneapolis Elections Department Director Cindy ReichertâÄôs comments in the Daily, this was the first election that allowed rent statements in place of utility bills after a court order in 2006 that allowed residents from The District on Delaware, formerly Melrose Student Suites, to use the statements. However, Reichert said that the statement that The Chateau management produced was missing an itemized utility charge. Some residents came back to The Chateau and received a corrected version of the statement, but it included the mistake of not addressing it to the residents, which is required. Students should be encouraged to pre-register, which could help such issues be avoided on Election Day. However, city officials should also make guidelines more clear. Moreover, building management should comply correctly and prepare in advance so that it can provide its residents with proper documentation. Resolving such issues could prevent such occurrences in the future.