Any voter who is registered in Minnesota can vote in the Presidential Nomination Primary. Voters can pre-register through Feb. 13, or they may register at the polling place when they vote. Voters must turn 18 years of age by March 5 to vote in the presidential primary.

Absentee voting began Jan. 19.

To obtain an application to vote by absentee ballot in the Presidential Nomination Primary Election, please apply to have an absentee ballot of the major political party of your choice mailed to you.

https://www.sos.state.mn.us/media/3899/2024-presidential-primary-absentee-ballot-application.pdf

Please return this completed absentee application to the Dodge County election office by mail, fax, email or in person. The county election office is at the Government Services Building, 721 Main St., Mantorville. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Staff members will input the applicant’s information into the State Voter Registration System, print labels for them, and provide them their ballot and absentee envelopes.

Accounting Services Director Sara Marquardt emphasized that county personnel will not process and hand a ballot for another voter to a voter unless a Request for Agent Delivery has been processed and that may only occur from Feb. 27 to March 5. Without that Request for Agent Delivery, county staff members can take the applications of another voter, but the ballot and envelopes will then be mailed to that voter.

She also explained that curbside voting is available during office hours. Voters desiring this service can call from their car for this service. The number to call is (507) 635-6239.

Although how a voter voted on the ballot is secret, the website for the Secretary of State explains, “A voter’s choice of party ballot will be recorded and is private data. However, a list will be provided to the chair of each major political party of voters who selected that party. How a voter voted on the ballot will be secret.”

The Primary Election is Aug. 13 for other elected offices. The General Election is Nov. 5.