County preps judges for March primary

Adopted by the state in 2016 and first practiced in 2020, the presidential nomination primary gets its second go-round in Minnesota on March 5.

That's when the state will join 14 others as part of Super Tuesday. To prepare locally, the office of the Carlton County auditor and treasurer conducted one of its series of hourlong training sessions Monday at the Transportation Building along County Road 61.

Roughly 40 election judges and township clerks were in attendance, as the county trains its roster of 220 judges on what to expect in the year's first election, one that will be followed by the state primary Aug. 13 and general election Nov. 5.

"That's a lot of judges within our geographic size and population," auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt told the audience. "I can't thank you enough for serving. Elections can't happen without you."

In today's highly charged political climate, being an election judge isn't without risks. Penalties for election disruptions have been enhanced in order to enforce smooth elections. Judges are given steps to remove anyone who is disorderly or breaking rules on election day.

To make sure the judges are as comfortable as can be in their duties, the Pine Knot agreed to not identify any of the judges in photos or this story.

Instead, the newspaper sat through the training and listened to what the judges learned. First and foremost about the presidential nomination primary, the ballot features only one race: the race for the presidency. But the primary also features three ballots, one for each of the state's major parties - Democratic-Farmer-Labor, Republican and Legal Marijuana Now. In the presidential nomination primary, state law requires voters to declare a party on paper and sign an oath in order to receive the ballot of their chosen party.

"We'll have lower turnout than for other primaries," DeVriendt told the group, because the declaration of party has the effect of turning some people away from the process.

Most of the judges in attendance expressed having previous experience, raising their hands when asked if they'd been a judge before. A smaller portion of the crowd raised their hands to indicate they were what DeVriendt called "rookies."

When voters arrive at the polls March 5, they'll be met by a greeter judge and ushered to a roster judge. It's the roster judge's job to "handle situations with a voter who does not want to declare," said Kelly Lampel, the county's chief deputy auditor/treasurer.

"Try to be as patient as you can with unhappy voters," Lampel said.

She stressed confidentiality.

"Don't announce it or indicate party choice at any point," Lampel told the judges. "Do your best to keep it as private as you can."

Once a voter receives a ballot at the polling place, they cannot change their party choice. Mail-in voters - which are common in Carlton County, where 15 rural precincts use mail-in voting exclusively - received all three party ballots with special instructions on how to turn in only one ballot.

Voters who want to know what will be on their ballots can view sample ballots for all three parties on the Minnesota Secretary of State website, a robust site featuring historical voting data as well as up-to-date voting information. Click on the "What's on my ballot?" link at sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting to find the sample ballot. Sample ballots will also be available at polling locations for voters to peruse prior to declaring their party.

Early voting for the presidential nomination primary started Jan. 19 at the courthouse in Carlton.

"We did have people there wanting to vote right away in the morning," Lampel said. "It was a Friday."

To ensure a voter can't vote early via absentee ballot and again on election day, the auditor/treasurer's office communicates with each precinct to notify them of early ballots received. Early voters' names are then marked on rosters as having already voted.

As part of the presidential nomination primary, voters' information is shared with the party of declaration. A voter's name, address and year of birth is shared with the state chairs of a voter's chosen party. That's written into law. Whom a person votes for remains confidential, county officials said.

"A vote is always confidential and remains completely secret," DeVriendt said.

The presidential nomination primary replaced straw polls conducted during party caucuses. The caucuses are still part of the state election process, and will take place Feb. 27. Minus the straw polls, the party caucuses conduct party business and discuss issues such as what to include on party platforms.

With this being only the second time conducting a presidential nomination primary, Lampel urged judges to be prepared for voters' questions.

"Have some responses ready," Lampel said. "You can't discuss your opinions, but you are encouraged to discuss the process."

Voters who have trouble or issues at their polling site can fill out an informal feedback form, or even register a more formal complaint with the state.

Judges were told polling places had to be accessible, even in the event of bad weather.

"Shovels, plows, salt for sidewalks," DeVriendt said. "There's no alternate date. It happens no matter what the weather looks like."

Anyone interested in seeing the county's voting machines may attend the public accuracy test at 9 a.m. Feb. 27 on the second floor of the courthouse in Carlton. The machines are the same as those first used in 2022, and were manufactured by Election Systems and Software of Omaha, Nebraska.