ST. CLOUD – As the 2024 election cycle gathers pace, voters will cast their ballots in Minnesota’s primary election on Tuesday, narrowing the field of candidates as the Nov. 5 general election quickly approaches.
The local primary election in St. Cloud is particularly drawing attention, with 16 candidates for city council vying for three seats and six mayoral candidates hoping to fill a vacant seat since Mayor Dave Kleis is not running for re-election.
After the primary elections on Tuesday, the field of candidates will be reduced to six city council candidates and two mayoral candidates.
“We have several candidates running for mayor of St. Cloud and also a number of candidates vying for seats on the city council,” said Presiding Election Judge Connie Nelson. “So it would be a good primary for people to participate in the primary election because otherwise the field gets smaller.”
Granite City set up 28 polling places citywide, and the St. Cloud Times visited the St. Cloud police station around 11:30 a.m. In speaking with Nelson, who was in charge of polling place selection, the Times learned that voter turnout was low until lunchtime.
“It was slow, but I’m confident that many people took advantage of the opportunity to vote early or by mail,” said Nelson, who began working at polling stations 12 years ago.
The experienced poll worker said there is usually a rush of voters after work, around 5 p.m.
Voter Victor Lund told the St. Cloud Times that part of the reason he cast his vote was because Kleis is not seeking re-election. He said that when things are going well at the local level, he would normally just vote for the incumbent in the hopes that everything stays good, but since Kleis is not up for re-election, he is curious to see what options he will have in November.
“When I learned that the incumbent mayor was not running for re-election, I thought it was important to make a choice,” Lund said. “Unless the city is obviously in trouble, I would simply vote to keep all incumbents in office.”
Nelson said these local elections are important because they help make St. Cloud not only what it is today, but what it can become.
“These positions impact your local issues,” Nelson said. “The City Council and the Mayor are definitely involved in what the City of St. Cloud can be and is.”
Mayoral candidates include Jake Anderson, Anne Buckvold, Mike Conway, Carol Lewis, Steven Dwaine Schiller and James Trantina III.
Candidates for City Council include Scott Brodeen, Tami Calhoun, Patrick Crooks, Alex Cutchey, Bill Doll, Mindy Ellingson, Charlie Hobbs, incumbent George Hontos, Lenora Hunt, Hudda Ibrahim, Mark Johnson, Nicholas Lengyel, Emmanuel Oppong, Michael Peterson, Omar Abdullahi Podi and Garrett Zimmerman.
The mayoral election is also attracting attention in nearby Sauk Rapids. The three candidates are Jason Ellering, Nicholas (Nick) Sauer and Andrew Neussendorfer.
Polls will be open throughout the city until 8 p.m. Voters can find out where to cast their ballot at https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/.
Corey Schmidt covers local affairs for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at [email protected].
