Bemidji residents take to the polls to vote in primary election

Nicole Ronchetti, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·3 min read

Aug. 9—BEMIDJI — Starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, voters across Minnesota lined up at their polling places to take part in the primary election that will determine which candidates advance to the general election in November.

For voters in the Bemidji area, three local races are included in the primary: the Bemidji City Council At-Large seat, the Beltrami County Board's District 2 seat and the race for Beltrami County Sheriff.

Other primaries included those for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District and the races for state governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

Polling places will be open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Any individual in line before 8 p.m. will be able to vote, even if they have not reached the front of the line by that time.

City voters can go to their designated polling places, divided by 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.

There are four candidates running for the At-Large position

on the Bemidji City Council:

* Daniel Jourdain, 36, the incumbent and an employment specialist for the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

* Pam Dreyer, 63, a semi-retired UPS employee and skating coach.

* Ron Johnson, 72, the current representative of Ward 3 on the city council, and a promotion manager for Lakeland PBS.

* Audrey Thayer, 71, the current representative of Ward 1 on the city council, and an instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College.

Five candidates are vying for the District 2 seat

on the Beltrami County Board:

* Adam Bommersbach, 33, a food, pools and lodging inspector for the state of Minnesota.

* Joe Gould, 35, a sixth-grade teacher in the Cass Lake-Bena School District.

* Don Heinonen, 58, a fleet shop manager in Bemidji.

* James Ravnikar, 44, the director of finance and human resources at the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School.

* Darren Tobey, 51, the owner of Arrowhead Glass in Bemidji.

There are three candidates for Beltrami County Sheriff

included in the primary:

* Bidal Duran, a Hubbard County narcotics investigator and former Bemidji police officer.

* Jason Riggs, a captain with the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.

* Jarrett Walton, the chief deputy sheriff for the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.

For Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, there are two Republican candidates in the primary:

* Pete Stauber, the incumbent and a retired law enforcement officer from Duluth.

* Harry Robb Welty, a former Duluth teacher and school board member.

For the same congressional seat, there are two candidates from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party:

* John Munter, a retired Delta Airlines employee, currently living in near Grand Rapids.

* Jen Shultz, the current representative for Minnesota House District 7A, from Duluth.

The DFL candidates for Minnesota Governor and Lieutenant Governor are Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan; and Ole Savior and Julia Parker. Republican candidates are Scott Jenson and Matt Birk; Joyce Lynne Lacey and Kent Edwards.

Also for the governor's race are candidates for the Grassroots, Legalize Cannabis Party Darrell Paulsen and Ed Engelmann; and Steve Patterson and Matt Huff. Also in the primary are candidates for the Legal Marijuana Now Party: Chris Wright and L.C. Lawrence Converse; and James McCaskel and David Sandbeck.

For the primary races for Minnesota Secretary of State, there are two DFL candidates, Steve Carlson and Steve Simon, and two Republican candidates, Erick van Mechelen and Kim Crockett.

The primary for Attorney General includes two DFL candidates, Keith Ellison and Bill Dahn, and three Republican candidates, Sharon Anderson, Jim Schultz and Doug Wardlow.