FARGO — Cass County commissioners have approved extending early voting hours and adding voting sites for the local elections and state primary on June 14.
County Finance Director Brandy Madrigga, whose office runs elections, told commissioners at their Monday, April 4, meeting that voting centers worked well in the 2020 general election. New voting machines were deployed statewide for that election, and her office decided to stick with those while offering more sites throughout the county.
The local and statewide primary election in 2020 was conducted by mail-in ballot because of COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
With the flexibility of the new voting machines, county residents can cast their ballots at any polling location. The machines offer the correct ballot for each of the the county's 11 legislative districts and 34 precincts based on a resident's address.
The deadline for establishing polling locations is Monday, April 11, or 64 days before the local and primary election as mandated by state law. The general election times and locations will be determined later.
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Madrigga said the goal for the 2022 elections is accessibility, so an effort was made to establish a voting center within a 30-minute commute of each voter during early voting and on election days.
Historically, she said, voter turnout averages 20% during early voting and 75% on election day. The remaining 5% of ballots are received via absentee ballots.
Four early voting locations will be open countywide from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June 6 to June 10. The local and state primary election is June 14.
Three of those locations will serve the Fargo and West Fargo metro area all five days. They are at the FargoDome, Double Tree Inn in West Fargo and at the West Acres Mall Community Corner.
Madrigga said the mall polling site is new and offers a central location with a bus stop nearby.
The rural early voting location will be on a rotation. The locations and dates are as follows: Northern Cass School in Hunter, 16021 18th St. SE, June 6; Tower City Community Center, 507 Broadway St., June 7; Kindred City Hall, 31 Fifth Ave. N., June 8; and Casselton Days Inn, 2050 Governor's Drive, June 9 and 10.
With the exception of the Kindred location, all of the early voting sites will also be open on Election Day, June 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Three additional sites will be in operation on Election Day: Horace Fire and Rescue Event Center, Atonement Lutheran Church in south Fargo and the Civic Center in downtown Fargo.
Madrigga said a similar type of schedule and poll locations are also likely for the general election in November, although they first want to see how the rural voting rotation works for the primary.
