Posted: 10/19/04
City election will have separate ballots
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
Two shifts of election judges will work in the two Caledonia City precincts for the general election in order to hand-count the write-in votes for Mayor and two City Council positions.
There are no city candidates on the ballot this year, and for that reason Houston County Auditor Pete Johnson requested that the ballots for city offices be separated from the rest of the offices. The county, state and federal offices will be listed on the regular ballot and counted with an optical scanner.
According to City Clerk Robert Nelson, having individuals who have announced that they are interested in being write-in candidates will probably help keep the number of different names down.
The two candidates who have announced write-in campaigns are Gary Klug and Robert Standish. Nelson said that itís important that voters write both first and last names down, especially if the last name is a common one. It will help the judges determine who the voters intended to write-in. Voters do not need to check the box after they have written the name in.
ěSome write-ins may be open to interpretation,î he said.
A good voter turn-out is expected because there is a presidential election. In 2000, there were 1,425 votes cast in the cityís two precincts.
Write-in candidates have always been an option for voters, but rarely are write-ins the only option.
Local write-in candidates are always tallied, according to Auditor Johnson. For state and federal offices, write-in candidates must request a count of votes cast for them.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com