On Tuesday, May 11 residents in School District 876 (Annandale) will have a single-question ballot to vote on – a proposed $81.55 million bond referendum to build a new high school facility to house grades 9-12, renovation of the existing high school to accommodate grades 5-8 as a middle school and adding space to serve early childhood and community education at the existing elementary school.

Absentee balloting for the bond referendum opens tomorrow (Friday, March 26) and will remain available until 4 p.m. Monday, May 10. There are three ways to vote – voting early from home by downloading an application, voting in person at the District 876 office (125 Cherry Ave. N. in Annandale) or voting between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day at Annandale City Hall. Those who wish to vote but are not registered voters have the opportunity to pre-register prior to Election Day. However, Minnesota does allow for same-day voter registration.

The referendum question was initially scheduled for 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bond question was pushed back to May 11, 2021.

A website has been set up to provide information about the bond referendum (https://www.cardinalstrong.org/). The website includes information about the process, the need, the plan, the cost, voting information and frequently asked questions.