Absentee Voting Opens for Stearns County Commissioner and St. Cloud School Board Races

(KNSI) – Absentee voting is now underway for the November 4th general election for Stearns County Commissioner in District 4 and to fill a vacant school board seat in the St. Cloud Area School District 742.

The commissioner race is between Amin Ali and Bob Johnson, who advanced from the August 12th primary. District 4 encompasses the City of Waite Park and the southern half of St. Cloud. They’re running to fill a seat left open by the resignation of Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, who retired in April for medical and personal reasons.

In District 742, Gina Acevedo, Al Dahlgren, and Peter Hamerlinck have emerged as the contenders to fill the three-year vacancy for the at-large member on the board. They will serve the remaining term of Bruce Henteges, who resigned in February shortly after being sworn into office due to medical issues.

Eligible voters can cast absentee ballots in person at the Stearns County Service Center Election Office at 3301 County Road 138 in Waite Park. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with additional Saturday hours on November 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Voters can also request an absentee ballot by mail.

Applications are available online or by calling the Auditor-Treasurer’s office. Once completed, they can be returned by mail or faxed to 320-656-3916, and ballots will then be mailed to voters. Residents can get a sneak peek at their ballots by entering their address into the My Ballot Finder tool on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.

For questions about the election process, contact the Stearns County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office at 320-656-3920 or email elections@co.stearns.mn.us.

___