Jill Schramm/MDN Jan Bonebrake, left, with League of Women Voters of Plum Valley assists Harrold Gjerde of Minot in filling out an application for an absentee ballot at Elison Assisted Living in Minot Monday. Gjerde was at Elison to attend the first of the facility’s monthly veterans lunches.

Working to ensure seniors can exercise their voting rights this election season, the League of Women Voters of Plum Valley has been visiting Minot’s assisted living centers with absentee ballot applications. Members estimated more than 100 applications have been filled out and delivered to the Ward County Auditor’s Office.

A group of Plum Valley members on Monday were at Elison Assisted Living, the last stop in their rounds.

Plum Valley previously placed ballot applications in Meals on Wheels lunch packages. The organization delivered ballot applications to Minot Public Library and Main Street Books to make them accessible for the members of the public to pick up. Applications also can be obtained from the county Auditor’s Office or online. The county will mail ballots prior to this year’s primary and general elections to residents with properly filled out applications.

Plum Valley’s presence at Elison was in conjunction with the first of the facility’s free monthly veterans lunches.

Elison Lifestyle Director RandiLynn Hubbard said the lunches will be hosted the second Monday of each month at noon and are open to any veterans and their spouses.

“We just want to appreciate what they have done for us,” Hubbard said. “We just want to thank them in our way.”

A free lunch for first responders will be held the fourth Monday of each month at noon. The first meal will be April 22. In May, the lunch date will fall on Memorial Day, but Hubbard said the event will be held as usual. Any first responders on duty who don’t have time for a sit-down meal can stop by and pick up a lunch.