Primary elections will take place Tuesday, August 10, throughout Minnesota; and a number of open seats will be contested throughout the counties of Cass, Morrison, Todd and Wadena.

“Primary elections are very important, because primary voters determine the candidates whose names will be on the November ballot,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.

Below is a list of area counties, along with the offices requiring a primary election and the candidates who are competing for the seats. District 12 is listed as well.

Cass County

o Sheriff: Tom Burch, Garr Pemberton, Wayne Tennis, Chris Thompson

o County Commissioner, District 1: Greg Booth, Neal Gaalswyk, Ken LaPorte

o County Commissioner,

District 2: Robert Kangas,

Phil Kinnunen, Edward “Ed” Nelson

o County Commissioner District 4: Jim Dowson, Bob Moore.

Morrison County o County Commissioner, District 4: Don Meyer, Carol Nash, Dean Rocheleau.

Todd County

o Sheriff: Scott Dirkes, Peter J. Mikkelson

Wadena County

o County Auditor-Treasurer: Brian James Hagen, Char West, Betty A. White

o County Commissioner District 3: Danny Goeden, Bill Stearns

o County Commissioner District 5: David Hillukka, Dave Schermerhorn, Dave Whitaker.

District 12 o State Senate, Repub- lican party: Paul Gazelka, Paul Koering.

Polling locations

To find your polling location for the Aug. 10 state primary election on the internet, go to http:// pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us. It provides your voting location, a map to that location, information about your voting district and candidates appearing on your ballot.

Below is a list of some of the polling locations for area townships and hours:

Cass County

o Becker Twp; 11066 Cty 32 SW, Motley, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o May Twp; 5834 - 112th St. SW, Pillager, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o City of Pillager; Pillager City Hall, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o Sylvan Twp; Sylvan Town Hall, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Morrison County

o Cushing Twp; Cushing Town Hall, 26187 Front St., Cushing

o Motley; Motley City Hall, 316 Hwy 10 S., Motley

o Motley Twp; Motley City Hall, 316 Hwy 10 S., Motley

o Scandia Valley; Scandia

Valley Town Hall, 3518 - 320th St., Cushing

Todd County

o Bartlett Twp; Bartlett Twp. Hall, 46246 Cty 11, Bertha

o Staples; Staples City Community Center, 425 4th St. NE, Staples, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o Staples Twp; Staples Twp. Hall, 25750 490th St., Staples

o Villard Twp; Villard Twp Hall (Philbrook), 31337 Cty 28, Motley, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o Moran Twp; Moran Twp Hall, 23608 - 430th St., Browerville.

Wadena County

o Aldrich Twp; Aldrich Cty Hall, 348 Central Ave. S., Aldrich

o Bullard Twp; Bullard Twp Hall, 25500 170th St., Staples, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

o Nimrod Twp; Nimrod Comm. Hall, 23276 St. Hwy 227, Nimrod.

Voting absentee

Voting absentee is an option for those who are unable to make it to the polls on Aug. 10.

State law allows eligible Minnesota voters to vote absentee either by mail or in person for one of the following reasons:

o Absence from the precinct (away from home)

o Illness or disability

o Serving as an election judge in another precinct

o Religious discipline

To vote absentee in person, voters may visit their county auditor’s office during regular business hours Monday - Friday until Aug. 6, between 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, or up until 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 9.

In-person absentee voting may be offered at many municipal clerk offices as well. If you are not registered to vote, an election official will provide you a voter registration form to complete along with your absentee ballot materials. To successfully register, voters must show proof of residence. Visit www.sos.state.mn.us for more information about proof of residence options.

Voters may also choose to vote absentee by mail. Visit the secretary of

state’s web site to download and print an absentee ballot application, or contact your county auditor or municipal clerk directly to obtain one. Upon receipt of your application, election officials will send you a ballot by mail to complete. Ballots must be returned on or before Aug. 10, to be counted for the primary.