Local primary election set for Aug. 13

Jul. 26—BEMIDJI — Voters across Minnesota will head to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 13, to vote in the primary elections.

This election will determine which candidates advance to the general election on Nov. 5.

For Bemidji area voters, the primary election will include the Mayor, Ward 3 and Ward 5 seats on the Bemidji City Council, and the District 4 seat on the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners.

Early voting is available at the Beltrami County Administration Building in the Auditor-Treasurer's Office, 701 Minnesota Ave. NW.

To vote in the primary on Aug. 13, city residents can visit their designated polling places based on their ward:

* Ward 1, the American Indian Resource Center at 1630 Birchmont Drive NE.

* Ward 2, the Bemidji National Guard Armory at 1430 23rd St. NW.

* Ward 3, the Boys and Girls Club at 1600 Minnesota Ave. NW.

* Ward 4, City Hall at 317 Fourth St. NW.

* Ward 5, Northwest Technical College, commons area at 905 Grant Ave. SE.

Polling locations will open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, and will remain open until 8 p.m. All those in line before 8 p.m. will still be able to cast their vote, even if they have not reached the front of the line by that time.

Voter registration forms are available at the Beltrami County Administration Building in Bemidji, local city halls, post offices and libraries. Registration can also be done online with the

Secretary of State's Office.

Applications for absentee ballots can be found at the Auditor-Treasurer's office, also in the County Administration Building. They can also be requested by email, by phone at

(218) 333-8448,

or

on the Secretary of State website.

For those out of the country or on active military duty, the

Federal Voting Assistance Program

is available.

The Bemidji City Mayor position is up for election this year, with three candidates:

* Jorge Prince: Has served as Bemidji's mayor since

he was elected in 2020.

He is a partner in LaValley Industries and has over 35 years of experience in starting, managing and growing businesses.

* Daniel Jourdain: Former At-Large City Councilor, having won a special election

in February 2021

and served through the end of 2022. He is a Red Lake Nation member, works as a coordinator at the New Day Center and owns a small business.

* Adam Steele: A semi-retired tax accountant and the editor and publisher of the Northern Herald, described as a regional newspaper that ran through 2010. He has previously run for the Minnesota House of Representatives and last ran for Bemidji's mayoral seat in 2010.

There are three candidates competing for Bemidji's Ward 3 Councilor position:

* Mark Dickinson: He has been a full-time real estate agent and broker since 1984 and has been the owner of Century 21 Dickinson Realtors since 1998.

* Greg Kuhn: A U.S. Air Force veteran and was a police officer for 10 years. He currently works at ACME Tools as the Parts and Service Manager. He previously

ran for the position in 2020

but was defeated by Ron Johnson, who received 60% of the votes.

* Katie Carter: A former producer for KAXE Northern Community Radio and has several years of experience in writing, editing and content creation for different local media organizations.

There are also 3 candidates running for the Bemidji Ward 5 seat:

* Lynn Eaton: Incumbent Eaton came out as the victor during a special election for the position

in February 2022.

He has lived in Bemidji since 1984 when he took a job with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and serves on several community boards.

* Bill Batchelder: Current owner of Bemidji Woolen Mills and a former volunteer firefighter for the Bemidji Fire Department.

* Michael Meehlhause: A former city councilor who served from 2012 to 2020. He works as an academic advisor at TrekNorth High School. He ran for

mayor in 2020 but was defeated by Jorge Prince,

who received 60% of the votes.

For Beltrami County District 4, there are three candidates to be considered in the primaries:

* Tim Sumner: Incumbent Sumner was first elected to represent District 4 in 2012, he works as a case manager at the Red Lake Homeless Shelter and attended Northwest Technical College. He is also a member of the Red Lake Nation.

* Frank Duresky: A Waskish resident and a graduate of Kelliher High School. He and his wife built and operated North Country Food and Fuel for 15 years, and he was also the owner of RF Dureksy Floor Covering, a union labor subcontracting business, for over 20 years.

* John Wilson Winnett: A Hines Township resident and BHS graduate who worked as a union millwright from 2013 to 2017. He has started two farm and equipment businesses and has been involved in several boards and committees in the county.

Also on the ballot for those in the area will be the 8th Congressional District and the U.S. Senator races:

U.S. Representative District 8: Republican incumbent Pete Stauber, along with Harry R Welty. Democrat candidates are Jen Schultz and John Munter.

U.S. Senator: Democrat incumbent Amy Klobuchar, along with Steve Carlson, Ahmad R. Hassan, George H. Kalberer and Ole Savior. Republican candidates include John Berman, Joe Fraser, Patrick D. Munro, Christopher Seymore Sr., Raymond D. Petersen, Loner Blue, Royce White and Alycia R. Gruenhagen.