Voters gear up for primary as potential candidates for general election file to run

Kirsten Wisniewski | August 8, 2024

Whether you are a voter or considering a run for local office, mark Tuesday, Aug. 13, in your calendar.

The primary

The primary for state-wide seats (US Senate, US House of Representatives, and Judicial District 6) will be held on Aug. 13. Many Cook County voters have already received a mail-ballot. For Grand Marais residents, both poling locations, the Community Center and the Cook County Courthouse, will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Elections Director Cortnee Bernier told WTIP that whether residents live in in-person or mail voting districts, voters can register right up until election day. She added that for mail-ballot voters who have not already sent their ballots back, they should return their ballots in person to ensure that they make it back in time to be counted on election day. For those who aren’t sure of their voter registration status, Bernier recommends that they visit mnvotes.gov, where residents can find sample ballots for their districts, as well as check on whether they are registered. Earlier this year, Bernier told WTIP about how residents can register to vote.

While the primary will not include any Cook County races, voters will chose candidates for several state offices. For the partisan races, US Senate and US House of Representatives, voters will need to chose just one party’s primary to vote in. Republican candidates for both offices will appear on the left, and Democratic-Farmer-Laborer candidates will appear on the right. County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers told WTIP that if voters select candidates from both parties, their ballot will be rejected. He noted, however, that the non-partisan judicial race will appear on the reverse side of the ballot. He said that those votes will be counted, even if an error is made on the partisan side.

Candidate filing

The primary is not the only reason to take note of Aug. 13. It is also the end date for two candidate filing windows. One is the planned filing window for candidates running for the Grand Marais City Council, ISD 166 school board, and the North Shore Health hospital board. The other filing window that ends on Aug. 13 is a special filing window for Cook County Commissioner District 4.

The District 4 seat was originally part of a filing period earlier this summer, however, a discrepancy between the county maps and state registration system lead a candidate to file in a district in which she did not reside. She requested that her name be removed from the ballot ahead of the November election, but Powers explained that when a vacancy appears, state law automatically triggers a special filing period for the seat in question. The window opened on Wednesday, Aug. 7, and lasts one week. Anyone interested in the Commissioner District 4 seat will have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, to file.

For any other county seats, interested residents can still register a write-in campaign with the Auditor’s office. Bernier encouraged listeners in Soil and Water District 5 to consider a write-in campaign, since no one filed during the original window. Soil and Water Districts 1 and 3, and Commissioner District 2 all currently have only one candidate running.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Cook County Elections Director Cortnee Bernier and Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers about the upcoming election and current candidate filing windows. Audio of that interview is below, along with lists of candidates who have filed for local seats, and those who will appear on the Aug. 13 ballot.

As of 2 p.m. on Aug. 8, the following people have filed for candidacy in the races for Grand Marais City Council, ISD 166 school board, and the North Shore Health hospital board: