Primary Election Day Has Arrived in Minnesota

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)-Tuesday is Primary Election Day in Minnesota. 

See Also: Long Delayed Funeral Planned For Winona Area War II Hero

Polls open across the state at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters in line before 8 p.m. will still be able vote, even if they arrive at the ballot box after 8 p.m. 

Ballots requested by mail in Olmsted County that have not yet been returned must be turned in and completed by 8 p.m. at the Government Center in Downtown Rochester or at the Olmsted County Campus in southeast Rochester.  

Get our free mobile app

Absentee balloting for the Primary began in late June. The results from the ballots cast will set the table for November’s General Election. 

Multiple seats for the Rochester City Council and a seat on the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners are on the 2024 Primary Ballot. 

A Primary election is required for the process to fill all four open seats on the Rochester City Council. 

Two incumbents are defending their seats, while the two other seats will be filled by a new person after City Council President Brooke Carlson and Second Ward Councilmember Mark Bransford announced they will not be seeking re-election. 

Four Rochester City Council Seats on Tuesday's Primary Ballot

The following candidates have filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office to be on the ballot for the Rochester City Council Primary Election: 

City Council President:

Shaun Palmer 

Randy Schubring

Dean Koutsoukos

Second Ward: 

Breanna Bly

Nick Miller 

Loring Stead

Tripp Welch

Fourth Ward:

Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick (Incumbent) 

Andy Friederichs 

Cory Sorgenfire

Sixth Ward:

Molly Dennis (Incumbent) 

Dan Doering 

Mark Schluesner

Becca Dyer Tesch

One Olmsted County Board Seat on Primary Ballot Tuesday

Five seats on the Olmsted County Board are up for this year’s election, however District 3 is the only race with more than two candidates who have filed with the Secretary of State. 

The candidates are: 

Gregg Wright (Incumbent) 

Karl Johnson 

April Suter

The only other contested race for a position on the County Board is in District 6, where a special election will take place to fill the vacancy that will be created by the upcoming retirement of Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden. Tawonda Burks and Bob Hopkins have both filed for the seat. 

There are three positions up for election on the Rochester School Board. Each seat has two candidates who will be on the ballot, therefore there will not be a Primary Election for the Rochester School Board.

More Minnesota News:

• Man Convicted in Southern Minnesota Kidnapping Case Avoids Prison 
• Rochester Man Accused of Threatening Woman With a Gun
• Two Climbers Injured in Two Incidents at Iconic Minnesota Bluff