Although the Alexandria School Board primary election is still 18 days away, some voters have already cast their ballots.

Early voting started Friday, June 25.

Three candidates – Jeff Patience, Maureen Eigen and Jeremy Smith – are vying for a special one-year term. Since more than two candidates filed, a primary election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 10 and the two candidates with the most votes will be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 special election.

About 175 ballots have been cast at the Alexandria School District office at Woodland Elementary School as of July 16.

“It has been going well,” said Maggie Timm, the district’s administrative assistant. “We are about half-way through the absentee voting period for the primary election and we are seeing a fair amount of voters come through each day.”

When asked if there has been any confusion about the primary, Timm emphasized that the purpose of the primary is to narrow the field of candidates down to two. However, voters should only cast a vote for one candidate in the primary election, Timm said. The two candidates with the most votes will move on to the special election in November.

The district hasn’t received a lot of questions from voters when they’re casting ballots.

“Most of the comments we hear are related to the many steps involved in casting an absentee ballot due to the procedures used to prevent election fraud and ensure voter privacy,” she said.

There are a variety of ways to vote:

Vote early in person

Through Aug. 9, you can vote early in person at the Woodland Elementary Building/District Office at 1410 S. McKay Ave. during regular office hours of Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Vote early by mail

Request an absentee ballot by calling 320-762-2141 ext. 4213 or download an application at alexschools.org. Once you have completed the application, return it to the address noted on the back.

Once the application is received, an absentee ballot will be mailed to you with instructions. Mail your ballot back in the pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope that was provided with your ballot materials. Ballots must be received by Aug. 9.

For more information about voting by absentee ballot, including procedures and qualifications, call the District Office at (320) 762-2141 ext. 4213 or email Maggie Timm, Election Clerk at mtimm@alexschools.org.

Vote day of primary election

The primary for the special election is Tuesday, Aug. 10. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Your polling location may be different than the last time you voted. Visit mnvotes.org or call 320-762-2141 ext. 4213 if you have questions about where to vote.