Feb. 28—BEMIDJI — While participation was down due to the cold and blustery weather on Tuesday, residents of Beltrami County bundled up to attend caucus night and participate in ground-level politics.

Both the Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican Parties hosted their caucuses Tuesday evening at locations across Minnesota, with the southern portion of the county’s GOP residents gathering at Bemidji High School and the DFL at Bemidji Middle School.

After going over the basics for the evening, participants dispersed into various classrooms based on their city ward or township of residence.

Alongside the business of electing delegates and discussing the party platforms, the caucuses mark the official start of the 2024 campaign season with both parties excited to begin.

“We’re ready. We’re looking forward to the election,” said Douglas Henry, the chair of the Beltrami County Republicans. “We feel like we need to bring some balance back to the state legislature.”

While no one has been officially endorsed for local office by either party quite yet, both Henry and the chair of the Beltrami County DFL, Curtiss Hunt, shared they have strong potential candidates under consideration.

“It’s a very important election coming up, and we’re excited about our candidates,” Hunt said. “We’re really looking forward to the campaign season, and we have a whole host of volunteers who are ready to help us.”

This year’s election season has several prominent races, from local to national. For the area around Beltrami County, Republicans will be trying to defend their seats in the Minnesota House, for Districts 2A and 2B.

Both candidates seeking House 2A endorsement participated in Tuesday’s caucus, Reed Olson on the DLF side, and Bidal Duran on the GOP side. Current 2B Representative, Matt Bliss, was also in attendance.

Representing the region nationally, the District 8 seat currently held by Rep. Pete Stauber in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up, alongside a seat to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate currently held by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

But beyond building anticipation for the upcoming elections and working to endorse candidates, the caucuses also play a vital role in shaping the party platforms for both the DFL and the Republican Party.

Participants at the precinct level present resolutions outlining potential party stances. If they pass during caucus night, they’re passed up the system until they can eventually be considered for adoption by the state party to its platform.

“This is grassroots democracy. This is where ideas percolate up that form the party platform, every idea must start at the caucus level,” explained Hunt. “Even though it might seem like the platforms are far away from us, this is where it gets started.”

Both caucuses held in Bemidji passed resolutions, and while there’s no guarantee that any of them will be adopted at the state level, both chairs emphasized the importance of participation and engagement in the process.

“The caucuses have a place in our society. It’s the place where you work the ground level and it goes up the chain,” Henry said. “That’s why we do them.”

Hunt and Henry also shared the importance of getting younger voters to attend and participate in caucuses, something that has always been a challenge.

“We would certainly like the younger generations to attend,” Hunt shared. “They are, by definition, the future of the party. It’s so very important to come to the caucuses.”

Following the caucuses, the next important date for the 2024 election season in Minnesota is the presidential primary that will be held on Tuesday, March 5.

Voters in the primary will go to their local polling locations to vote for their preferred presidential candidate in one of the three major parties: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the Legalize Marijuana Now Party.

In Bemidji, polling locations will be divided by ward of residence:

* Ward 1: American Indian Resource Center, 1630 Birchmont Drive NE

* Ward 2: Bemidji National Guard Armory, 1430 23rd Street NW

* Ward 3: Boys & Girls Club, 1600 Minnesota Avenue NW

* Ward 4: Bemidji City Hall, 317 Fourth Street NW

* Ward 5: Northwest Technical College, 905 Grant Avenue SE

More information on the upcoming primary, which candidates will be on the ballots, early voting opportunities and how to find your polling location can be found on the

Minnesota Secretary of State’s website.