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Brown County picks Trump and Biden for 2024 Presidential rematch

County see modest increase in voters from 2020 presidential primary

BROWN COUNTY — With all precincts reporting in before 11 p.m., Brown County voters once again backed Donald Trump (GOP) and Joe Biden (DFL) during the Presidential Nomination Primary (PNP).

Trump received 1,552 votes (71.95%)—of the GOP Presidential Primary vote with Nikki Haley coming second receiving 558 votes (25.87%).

Biden received 502 votes, (80.32%) and 57 (9.12%) Brown County DFL voters choosing Uncommitted. Dean Philips finished third with 47 votes (7.52%).

Brown County numbers reflected the overall state results ,with Trump and Biden taking the top nomination by wide margins.

The last Presidential Nomination Primary (PNP) held in Minnesota was in 2020. The result of the 2020 were similar, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump receiving the most votes in their respective parties.

The purpose of the presidential nomination primary is for voters in Minnesota to choose which presidential candidate within their political party should be nominated as the candidate for the November general election ballot.

This year Minnesota had three party ballot options; Republican Party, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and Legal Marijuana Now Party. Voter were only allowed to vote the ballot for their affiliated party.

In New Ulm, in-person voting started unusually with most wards reporting lower numbers at the start of the day.

New Ulm's first ward polling location at Redeemer Lutheran reported 41 voters as of 9:30 a.m.

Head Election Judge Lenora Houldson said typically there is a higher surge of voters in the first few hours after the polls open, but with only the presidential primary on the ballot, turnout appear muted.

Though voter turnout was low, Head Election Judge Kathleen Born said the process was moving smoothly with fewer spoiled ballots.

During the last primary, a single voting form was used some people mistakenly voted cross ballot, selecting candidates from multiple parties resulting in a spoiled ballot. For the 2024 primary, voters needed to choose a preferred party before receiving a ballot. This reduced the chance of a balloting error.

New Ulm’s second ward voted at the New Ulm Community Center. Head Election Judge Harry Bock said generally there would be around 100 people during the first three hours of a primary election voting before work. This year, only 14 people voted in that time frame.

In the years he's been an election judge, Bock said it's the worst opening turnout to a primary election ever. He said a potential reason for this lacking turnout was the lack of choices besides Trump and Biden in the respective primary elections.

"There’s not a lot of choice," he said. "Either it’s a Trump or a Biden. That’s pretty much the way it’s looking like."

Bock said the most common primary voting times are before work and after work. That means either the early morning or after five in the evening.

Opening turnout was more abundant at New Ulm’s third ward at the Christ the King Lutheran Church. By 10 a.m., 71 people had come out to vote. Head Election Judge Naoko Meyer said by primary standards this is a normal turnout.

While it’s too late to do so for the primary election, Meyer said they're always looking for more election judges to aid in the electoral process. To do so, she said to inquire at City Hall.

"The more people are the better, especially for the November election," Meyer said. "We could use a lot of people."

New Ulm’s fourth ward polling location at Our Savior's Lutheran saw 51 voters in the first three hours. Head Election Judge Bill Furth said early turnout was relatively slow with no large groups of voters coming through the door. At most, two or three voters came in at a time.

Despite the appearance of a low turnout, the number of votes received county wide was slighter higher this year than in the 2020 PNP.

In 2020, approximately 2,700 people voted in the PNP. In 2024, the number of voters was approximately 2,800.

Of the total votes received 1,132 votes were early voting/mail-in ballots. This could account for the relatively low in-person turnout on Super Tuesday.