by Mike Knaak
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Voters don’t have to wait until March 3 to vote in this year’s March 3 Presidential Nomination Primary. Stearns County and area cities have set up options for direct voting.
In St. Joseph, early voting will take place at the Government Center, 75 Callaway St. E. on the following dates:
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 25 – 28;
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 29; and
8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 2.
In Sartell, direct voting will take place at City Hall, 125 Pinecone Road N. The days and hours are:
7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 25-28;
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 29; and
7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. March 2.
Stearns County has two locations for in-person absentee voting:
Stearns County Administration Center
Auditor Office, Room 148
705 Courthouse Square
St. Cloud
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Stearns County Service Center
License Center West
3301 CR 138
Waite Park
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Voters may apply for an absentee ballot online at mn.votes.org and a ballot will be mailed.
To have an absentee ballot mailed to you or return a Presidential Primary Absentee Application by mail, fax or email to:
Stearns County Service Center
Attn: Elections
3301 County Road 138
Waite Park MN 56387
Phone: 320-656-3920
Fax: 320-203-6960
Email: elections@co.stearns.mn.us
To find your election day polling place, go to https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
The presidential primary is new this year. In the past, the political parties selected presidential candidates at precinct caucuses. Voters will find some new procedures when they vote.
When the voter checks in at the polling place, an election official will ask for a party preference. Voters must select either the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party or the Republican Party. The other two other major parties, the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and the Legal Marijuana Now Party, are not participating in the primary.
The political parties provided the list of candidates. Of the 15 candidates listed on the DFL ballot, seven have dropped out since the list was submitted. Only Donald Trump’s name appears on the Republican ballot.
A voter’s choice of party ballot will be recorded and is private data. However, a list of who voted in a presidential nomination primary and the political party each voter selected will be provided to the chair of each major political party. How a voter voted on the ballot will be secret.
Precinct caucuses will still take place on a Feb. 25, one week before the primary. While not selecting presidential candidates, caucus participants will vote on party policies and endorse candidates for state offices and US Senate.
The Minnesota Secretary of State has an online precinct caucus finder at https://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
The primary election to narrow the field for other local and state offices is Aug. 11 and the general election is Nov. 3.
