city council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Redistricting in the wake of the 2020 census has made several minor changes in the wards that represent some northside residents who have voted in precincts 1A, 1B and 2. The total number of polling sites, beginning with the August primary, will go down from 15 to 13.

Minnesota’s redistricting in the wake of the 2020 Census affects the boundaries of several of Moorhead’s wards. The changes are small, but significant: Some northside voters will be voting in new polling places, as the total number of precincts is reduced from 15 to 13.

City clerk Christina Rust updated the City Council on the changes on Monday. Despite the smaller number of sites to be covered, each by nine poll workers, she is looking for new names to add to the city’s roster to rebuild the ranks for coming elections in August and November.

According to Rust, the state-mandated changes primarily affect Wards 2 and 3. Each gains a modest number of voters. Precinct 9, formerly a part of Ward 4, has been moved to Ward 2, while a portion of Precinct 10 has been added to Ward 3.

Three former precinct polling sites have been moved, she told the council. The old Precinct 1A location at Believers Fellowship Church, 1-B at the Clay County Courthouse, and Precinct 2 at City Hall will be relocated to St. Francis Catholic Church, where the entire Precincts 1 and 2 will share quarters.

Only one current member of the council is affected by the changes. Steve Lindaas of Ward 4 will continue to serve in his present role until his term expires in December 2024; after that, if he runs for reelection, he will be in Ward 2.

Redistricting has not affected the four council members whose terms end in 2022 – Shelly Dahlquist, Heather Nesemeier (who was appointed to a vacancy last May and would run for the first time), Deb White and Chuck Hendrickson. Mayor Shelly Aasen Carlson, who replaced Johnathan Judd in February 2021, will also be on the ballot if she elects to run for a full term. None has announced his or her intentions yet.

Rust told the council she is accepting applications from would-be poll workers interested in helping the city run its elections later this year. While her office’s roster now includes 400 names, she expects to need more. “Some of them have undoubtedly died over the past two years,” she explained, “and others aren’t able to work a full day, so we need fill-ins for the other half days.”

Her office struggled to staff the 15 precincts in 2020. “Covid cut down the numbers willing to work,” she said. In addition to recruiting the necessary number of workers, she added, those assigned to each polling site must be politically balanced – that is, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. “It can be a bit of a puzzle to put the pieces together,” she said.

Poll workers, called “judges,” are paid $10 per hour. The two head judges at each site earn slightly more, $11. Applicants must be at least 16 years old, and must be available for two hours of training before the election. To apply online, go to https://www.cityofmoorhead.com/government/elections-and-voting/election-judge-application.