July 26 – BEMIDJI – Minnesota voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, August 13 to vote in the primary election.
This election will determine which candidates will advance to the November 5th general election.
For Bemidji area voters, the primary election will include the Mayor, District 3 and District 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, Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 701 Minnesota Ave.
To vote in the August 13 primary, city residents can visit designated polling locations based on their district:
* District 1, American Indian Resource Center at 1630 Birchmont Drive NE.
* District 2, Bemidji National Guard Armory at 1430 23rd St.
* District 3, Boys and Girls Club at 1600 Minnesota Ave.
* District 4, City Hall at 317 Fourth St.
* District 5, Northwest Technical College, common area at 905 Grant Ave.
Polling locations will open at 7am on Tuesday, August 13th and will remain open until 8pm. Anyone in line before 8pm will still be able to vote, even if they haven’t reached the front of the line by then. 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 via the website
Office of the Secretary of State.
Absentee ballot applications can be found in the Auditor-Treasurer’s office, also in the County Administration Building. They can also be requested by email, by phone
(218) 333-8448,
or
on the Secretary of State website.
For those who are outside the country or on active military duty, the
Federal Voting Assistance Program
is available.
The position of mayor of the city of Bemidji is up for grabs this year, with three candidates:
* Jorge Prince: He has been mayor of Bemidji since
he was elected in 2020.
He is a partner at LaValley Industries and has over 35 years of experience starting, managing and growing businesses.
* Daniel Jourdain: Former municipal councilor, having won a special election
in February 2021
and served until the end of 2022. He is a member of the Red Lake Nation, works as a coordinator at the New Day Center, and owns a small business.
* Adam Steele: Semi-retired tax accountant and editor and publisher of the Northern Herald, described as a regional newspaper that operated until 2010. He previously ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives and last ran for Bemidji mayor in 2010.
There are three candidates competing for the Bemidji District 3 Councilor position:
* Mark Dickinson: He has been a full-time real estate agent and broker since 1984 and has owned Century 21 Dickinson Realtors since 1998.
* Greg Kuhn: Veteran of the US Air Force and was a police officer for 10 years. He currently works at ACME Tools as a Parts and Service Manager. He previously
ran for office in 2020
but was defeated by Ron Johnson, who received 60% of the vote.
*Katie Carter: Former producer at KAXE Northern Community Radio and has several years of experience writing, editing and creating content for different local media organizations.
There are also 3 candidates running for the Bemidji District 5 seat:
* Lynn Eaton: Incumbent Eaton emerged victorious 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 former volunteer firefighter with the Bemidji Fire Department.
* Michael Meehlhause: Former councilman who served from 2012 to 2020. He works as an academic advisor at TrekNorth High School. He ran to
mayor in 2020, but was defeated by Jorge Prince,
which received 60% of the votes.
For Beltrami County District 4, there are three candidates to consider in the primary:
* 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: Waskish resident and graduate of Kelliher High School. He and his wife built and operated North Country Food and Fuel for 15 years, and he also owned RF Dureksy Floor Covering, a union labor subcontracting company, for more than 20 years.
* John Wilson Winnett: Hines Township resident and BHS graduate who worked as a union builder from 2013 to 2017. He started two agricultural and equipment businesses and was involved on several boards and committees in the county.
Also on the ballot for those in the area will be the 8th Congressional District and races for U.S. senator:
US Representative District 8: Incumbent Republican Pete Stauber, along with Harry R Welty. The Democratic candidates are Jen Schultz and John Munter.
US Senator: current Democrat Amy Klobuchar, along with Steve Carlson, Ahmad R. Hassan, George H. Kalberer and Ole Saviour. Republican candidates include John Berman, Joe Fraser, Patrick D. Munro, Christopher Seymore Sr., Raymond D. Petersen, Loner Blue, Royce White and Alycia R. Gruenhagen.
