Stearns County Absentee Voting Opens June 26th for August Primary

(KNSI) – Stearns County absentee voting for the August 11th primary election begins next week.

Auditor-Treasurer Randy Schreifels says voting opens Friday, June 26th, 46 days before the primary.

The ballot will decide, or narrow, several contested races across the area. In St. Cloud, two City Council seats drew enough candidates to require a primary. Ward 1 incumbent Dave Masters faces Charlie Hobbs and Dreyton Nichols. The open Ward 4 seat, which Council President Mike Conway is leaving, drew four candidates: Amaan Abdi, Joe Baratta, Craig Heurung, and Zak X. The top two finishers in each ward advance to the November 3rd general election.

At the Legislature, Senate District 13 features a Republican primary between Aaron Brutger and Jared Gapinski, with the winner facing DFLer Trent Dilks in the fall. House District 14A has primaries in both parties, with Republicans Mike Conway and John Jose on one side and DFLers Abdi Daisane and Paul Schumacher on the other.

In the 6th Congressional District, Republican Congressman Tom Emmer faces a primary challenge from Mike Foley and Chris Corey. The Republican winner advances to November against DFLer Doug Chapin.

Residents can vote absentee in person at two locations. St. Cloud City Hall, at 1201 7th Street South, and the Stearns County Service Center Election Office, at 3301 County Road 138 in Waite Park, will both be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Both sites will also be open Saturday, August 8th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Voters can apply for an absentee ballot online at mnvotes.gov or by contacting the Auditor-Treasurer’s office to have an application mailed. Ballots will arrive with instructions for completing and returning them to the Stearns County Election Office, and voters can follow the status of their ballot at mnvotes.gov.

Additional early voting locations will open seven days before the primary.

Questions can be directed to the Stearns County Auditor-Treasurer’s office at 320-656-3920 or by email at elections@co.stearns.mn.us.

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