Jamestown voters choose mayor, council and school board in primary election

Jamestown voters chose the city’s next mayor, a City Council seat, Parks and Recreation Commission members, the Public School Board and the municipal judge Tuesday, putting several of the community’s most visible offices in the hands of local voters. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jamestown Civic Center and the American Legion in Medina for precinct 472910.

The mayor’s race featured Patrick Davis, Dwaine Heinrich and Katie Hemmer. Heinrich, first elected in June 2018 and reelected in June 2022, was seeking a third term. On the council side, David Steele ran unopposed for one seat, while the unexpired seat drew Shannon Davis, Brock Mosolf and Pam Phillips.

School leadership also drew a crowded field. Six candidates were running for three Jamestown Public School Board seats, and four candidates were competing for three spots on the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Commission. The city ballot also included the municipal judge race, giving voters a say in offices that affect everything from classroom governance to how local disputes are handled.

Absentee voters faced a hard deadline: ballots had to be received by the Stutsman County Auditor’s Office by 7 p.m. Tuesday to count. North Dakota has eliminated the old grace period for mail-in absentee ballots in the 2026 primary, so anything arriving after polls closed was rejected even if it carried an earlier postmark. Military absentee ballots remained under a separate deadline tied to the county canvassing board.

At the Civic Center, county officials directed voters to the north, ground-level doors and the Exchequer Room entrance. The vote center served all Stutsman County residents, while the Medina American Legion was reserved for precinct 472910. County election guidance also required acceptable identification with a name, residential address and birth date.

Early voting at the first-floor courthouse site had already pointed to a strong day at the polls. Stutsman County said turnout there surpassed its early-voting totals from the 2022 and 2024 primaries. The Stutsman County Canvassing Board was scheduled to meet June 22 to certify results, while voters statewide were also deciding Measure 1, a constitutional amendment that would require future ballot measures to cover a single subject.

In a county of 21,593 spread across 2,298 square miles, the June primary set the stage for the city leadership, school oversight and local judicial decisions that will shape Jamestown well beyond election night.