Aug. 14 primary election to narrow choices in Nov. 6 general election

Primary voting is well underway in Rock County with most rural precincts participating by mail.
Seventeen of Rock County’s 23 voting precincts have opted to vote by mail ballot.
They include the cities of Hardwick, Steen, Jasper, Kenneth, Beaver Creek and Magnolia and the townships of Battle Plain, Kanaranzi, Rose Dell, Beaver Creek, Luverne, Springwater, Clinton, Magnolia, Vienna, Denver and Mound.
Ballots for Minnesota’s primary election — to narrow the races ahead of the general election — were mailed to registered voters in these precincts on July 24 and are due back in the courthouse by 8 p.m. Aug. 14.
Eligible voters not registered by July 24 can contact the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 507-283-5060, to have a ballot mailed, or they can vote in person — via absentee ballot — prior to the Aug. 14 primary election at the courthouse.
In addition to normal business hours, the Rock County Courthouse will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. On Primary Election Day, Aug. 14, the courthouse hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Precincts still hosting physical polling places include the city of Luverne (four precincts), the city of Hills and Martin Township. Those polling places are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
 
Partisan primaries require partisan choices
The 2018 primary ballots ask voters to choose candidates in either Republican or Democratic-Farmer Labor races — not both — to narrow races for elections in state and federal offices.
Four Republican candidates and five DFL candidates are seeking election to Minnesota’s seat in the U.S. Senate, currently held by Amy Klobuchar who is seeking re-election.
Joining Klobuchar on the DFL side are David Groves, Leonard Richards, Steve Carlson and Stephen Emery.
Republican challengers for that seat are Jim Newberger, Merrill Anderson, Roque De La Fuente and Rae Anderson.
A special election will fill the remaining term of Minnesota Sen. Al Franken. The seat, currently filled by Sen. Tina Smith, former lieutenant governor, expires in 2021.
In addition to Smith, DFL contenders for Senate are Richard Painter, Ali Chehem Ali, Christopher Sehmore Sr., Gregg Iverson and Nick Leonard.
Republicans who filed for that seat in the U.S. Senate are Bob Anderson, Karin Housely and Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey.
DFL incumbent Tim Walz is leaving his District 1 seat in the U.S House of Representatives to run for governor, and several GOP and DFL candidates are hoping to fill the vacancy.
DFL colleagues Colin Minehart and Dan Feehan have filed for that seat, as have GOP candidates Steve Williams, Andrew Candler, Carla Nelson and Jim Hagedorn.
Joe Schomacker is the lone Republican on the ballot for District 22A Minnesota House of Representatives, but two DFL candidates, Brian Abrahamson and Maxwell Kaufman, are vying for their names on the ballot.
There is a long list of candidates seeking election to Minnesota governor currently held by outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton.
Republican candidates include Jeff Johnson, Tim Pawlenty and Matthew Kruse. DFL candidates are Tim Walz, Lori Swanson, Erin Murphy, Ole Savior and Tim Holden.
Candidates for Minnesota Attorney General include Robert Lessard, Sharon Anderson and Doug Wardlow on the Republican side. The DFL candidates for attorney general are Tom Foley, Keith Ellison, Mike Rothman, Debra Hilstrom and Matt Pelikan.
The general election is Nov. 6, and ballots will be mailed Oct. 16 to precincts voting by mail.