Campaigns wind down as Election Day nears
After months of campaign rhetoric voters will get their chance to make their voices heard Tuesday.
Polls will open in most precincts at 8 a.m. although some smaller townships have the option to open at 10 a.m. All polling places will remain open until 8 p.m. Extended early in-person voting hours have also been established.
Voters in the Byron school district will not only be choosing members of the school board, they will also be voting on whether to approve an $800 per pupil levy referendum to increase money coming into the district.
There are also school board races in the Kasson-Mantorville, Hayfield and Triton districts.
City council and/or mayor positions are up for election in Byron, Dodge Center, Hayfield, Kasson, Mantorville and West Concord. Active write-in campaigns have also surfaced in mayoral races in Kasson and West Concord, and Dodge County Commissioner District 5. In Kasson, mayoral candidate Dan Eggler is being challenged by write-in candidate Bryce Anderson. West Concord Mayor Jeffrey McCool is facing a write-in challenge from Christina Peterson. Write-in candidate William Sanson is challenging David Kenworthy in Commissioner District 5.
In District 24A, which includes all of Dodge County and Byron in Olmsted County, candidates include Republican Duane Quam and Heather Holmes, DFL.
Other local races include Dodge County Soil and Water Supervisor Districts 1, 2, and 6.
State and national races on the ballot include U.S. Senate, Minnesota Supreme Court Justices, Appeals Court Justices, District Court Judges and, of course, the presidential race.
To view your sample ballot, go to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website: sos.state.mn.us, click on Get A Sample Ballot and enter your address. You can also enter your address into the Polling Place Finder and find where you vote, map and directions.
There is still time to cast your ballot before Election Day. Dodge County residents can cast their early ballots at the Dodge County Government Services Building, 721 Main Street North in Mantorville during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional in-person voting hours will be available Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Sunday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Byron residents wishing to cast early ballots may do so at the Olmsted County Elections Office, 2122 Campus Drive SE, Suite 300, Rochester, or Rochester City Hall, 201 4th St. SE, Rochester. There will be extended hours on Saturday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
While most polling places will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. there are some townships that are allowed to begin voting at 10 a.m. In Dodge County these townships include Ashland, Claremont, Ellington, Hayfield, Ripley and Westfield.
If you have not already registered to vote you may do so at your polling place on Election. To register on Election Day, you must have a valid proof of residence. Acceptable documents are listed on the Secretary of State’s website.
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