Stearns County's August 11 Primary, What Voters Need To Know

The primary election will take place in Minnesota on Tuesday, August 11. Stearns County Auditor/Treasurer Randy Schreifels and Stearns County Election Supervisor Roxanne Gerads joined me on WJON.

Primary Rules

The primary determines which candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election. This includes partisan and non-partisan races. Schreifels says voters can only vote for candidates from one political party on partisan races. If you vote for more than one political party, your votes will not count.

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Safe and Secure Elections

Gerads says they have numerous steps and procedures to insure that elections are safe and secure. She says their procedures include the testing of equipment, secure and accountable handling of ballots, and maintaining voter roll registration. Gerads says if a person hasn't voted in the last 2 election cycles, that voter is listed as inactive and would need to re-register. She says they check voter registration every 2 weeks monitoring deaths among voters in the county.

Eligibility

Schreifels says they have steps in place to prohibit non citizens from voting. He says they check the driver's license and social security databases to insure eligibility. Public observation and transparency is important which is why the county held a public demonstration July 16 to show voting tabulators' accuracy. The canvassing will take place August 14 at 3pm at the Stearns County Service Center. There will also be a post election review.

Transparency

A Minnesota Stature was added in 2026 with all counties required to develop and file a chain of custody plan. They have documentation of who/when materials are handled. Election judges from different parties are present for an open process of mail and absentee ballots.

Registration

Voter registration can take place at your polling place the day off the primary election. Stearns County voters can vote early in person at both St. Cloud City Hall and the Stearns County Service Center in Waite Park. Schreifels says the same amount of polling places are expected to be used for the primary that are typically used for general elections.

Sample Ballots

If you'd like a sample ballot and to learn where your polling place is, go to mnvotes.org. Gerads says voter turnout at the primary election in Stearns County is typically 12-14% while the general election numbers are more than 80% participation.