//Run for office · Minnesota

How to run for local office in Minnesota

Minnesota sells its voter file for $46 statewide or $30 for any one city, school district, or county, and absentee voting opens 46 days out, so a local race is a six-week campaign run off a cheap list.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

Minnesota splits candidates by level. Statewide, legislative, and judicial candidates register with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board under chapter 10A. City council, mayor, school board, county, and township candidates never file reports with the Board: they file with the same local officer who took their affidavit of candidacy, under Minn. Stat. chapter 211A, and only once they raise or spend more than $750. Contribution limits for those local races are set by 211A.12 at $600 or $1,000 per election year depending on the size of the jurisdiction.

The state runs one Statewide Voter Registration System and sells extracts of it (the 'public information list') to any registered Minnesota voter for election, political, or law-enforcement use only (201.091). It also sells the list of absentee applicants and the list of accepted absentee ballots for any area, which is how you chase ballots during the 46-day absentee window. Same-day registration means your universe keeps growing through election night. City and school elections fall in November of odd or even years depending on local ordinance; townships vote in March; county offices ride the even-year state ballot.

Election authority: Minnesota Secretary of State, Elections and Administration Division
Voter file: Available for political and election purposes · $46 for the statewide file (delivered as one text file per congressional district) or $30 for any single area: a county, city or town, school district, ward, precinct, county commissioner district, legislative district, congressional district, or judicial district (SOS order form revised January 2026, checked 2026-09-09).
Campaign finance: Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (state candidates); local filing officers under chapter 211A (city, school, county, township candidates)
How voters vote: In person, with no-excuse mail voting
Registration deadline: Pre-registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on the 21st day before the election (11:59 p.m. for online applications). After that you register at the polls on election day with proof of residence, or a registered voter in the precinct can vouch for you (201.061).
Local offices: City, school board, township, and county offices are nonpartisan: the clerk places filed names on the ballot 'without partisan designation' (205.13, subd. 1; 205.065, subd. 4; 205A.03, subd. 3), and all county, city, and school district offices go on the 'State and County Nonpartisan Primary Ballot' with no party identification (204D.08, subd. 6). Legislative and statewide offices are partisan and nominated at the August state primary.

Who runs elections in Minnesota

Minnesota Secretary of State, Elections and Administration Division Runs the Statewide Voter Registration System, publishes the filing-period and election calendars every year, and sells registered-voter, absentee-applicant, and accepted-absentee lists. A city or school board candidate deals with the Secretary of State mainly to buy data; candidacy and campaign finance filings go to the city clerk, school district clerk, or county auditor.

County auditors (county elections offices) register voters, run in-person and mail absentee voting from their offices and any sites they designate (203B.081), staff the ballot boards that accept or reject absentee envelopes, and must provide the public information list for their county within five business days of a paid request (201.091, subd. 5). City clerks and school district clerks accept affidavits of candidacy and campaign financial reports for their offices and administer odd-year municipal and school elections (205.13, 205A.06, 211A.02). County auditors accept filings for county offices and, with the auditor's approval, for township offices (204B.09, 205.13).

Getting the Minnesota voter file

The voter file is the list of every registered voter, with the fields a campaign needs to target: address, party where the state records it, and vote history. In Minnesota it comes from Minnesota Secretary of State (Registered Voter List).

Access: Available for political and election purposes
Cost: $46 for the statewide file (delivered as one text file per congressional district) or $30 for any single area: a county, city or town, school district, ward, precinct, county commissioner district, legislative district, congressional district, or judicial district (SOS order form revised January 2026, checked 2026-09-09).
Format: Comma-delimited text, or a print-ready PDF for smaller areas; delivered as an encrypted download link by email within 5 business days of the order, and the link expires after 7 days.
Vote history: Included
Phone numbers: Included where on file
Updated: Each report is generated from the Statewide Voter Registration System at the moment it is run, so it is as current as the system. Voting history may not be posted for up to six weeks after an election; re-order after that if you need the last election's turnout.

Who can get it: Only a registered Minnesota voter may order. The order form carries a certification that you are registered and that the list will be used only for purposes related to elections, political activities, or law enforcement (Minn. Stat. 201.091). Have the candidate or a registered-voter staffer sign.

Permitted use: Elections, political activities, or law enforcement. You may not publish any of the data on the internet in a list, database, or other searchable form, and you may not sell it or hand it to anyone outside the volunteers and employees working on the election or political activity (201.091, subd. 4).

County option: Every county auditor must furnish the public information list for the county within five business days of a complete written request and payment of the cost of reproduction (201.091, subd. 5). For a race inside one county, the SOS $30 area report is usually simpler; ask the auditor if you need a custom cut or want it sorted a particular way.

The 'Detailed Voting History for All Elections' text report carries voter name, address, phone (if the voter gave one), birth year, voter ID, registration date, county, MCD, precinct code, school district code, other district codes, voting history, and permanent-absentee status. It comes as two files, a voter file and an elections file, joined on voter ID; each election row has the election date, description, and voting method.
The 'Walking List' report is sorted by street name and number and includes only the last six years of history in abbreviated form. Mailing-label reports (one per voter or one per household) drop history and phone.
Date of birth and any part of Social Security, driver's license, or passport numbers are never included (201.091, subd. 9). Only currently registered voters appear.
The same office sells, on the same terms and at the same $46 statewide and $30 per-area prices, the list of absentee ballot applicants and the list of accepted absentee ballots for a given election (203B.12, subds. 8 and 10).
Orders are by mail or in person only, paid by check, money order, or cash in person, at Office of the Secretary of State, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101. There is no online ordering and no credit card option.

Whatever file you get, Culper imports it as a CSV and maps the columns for you. See how to read a voter file for what the fields mean.

Filing to run for local office in Minnesota

You file an affidavit of candidacy and pay a small fee (or file a petition in place of the fee) with the clerk of the jurisdiction during a two-week window fixed by statute as a count of days before the election. City, school, township, and county offices carry no party designation. There is no primary unless the city or district has adopted one by ordinance or resolution and more than twice the number of seats' worth of candidates file (205.065, 205A.03).

File with: Municipal clerk for city offices; school district clerk for school board; county auditor for county commissioner, sheriff, and county attorney, and for township offices if the auditor has agreed to accept them (205.13, 205A.06, 204B.09).
Filing fee: City offices: $20 in first-class cities, $5 in second- and third-class cities, $2 in fourth-class cities and towns, unless the council has raised it by ordinance (to at most $80, $40, and $15). School board: $2. County offices: $50 (205.13, 205A.06, 204B.11). Minneapolis by ordinance: mayor $500, city council $250, Park Board and Board of Estimate and Taxation $100, school board $20.
Petition: In place of the fee, a petition signed by eligible voters of the jurisdiction: for city and school offices the lesser of 500 signatures or 5 percent of the votes cast in the municipality, ward, or district at the preceding general election; 500 signatures for county offices (204B.11, subd. 2). Signatures are gathered during the filing period.
Partisan?: City, school board, township, and county offices are nonpartisan: the clerk places filed names on the ballot 'without partisan designation' (205.13, subd. 1; 205.065, subd. 4; 205A.03, subd. 3), and all county, city, and school district offices go on the 'State and County Nonpartisan Primary Ballot' with no party identification (204D.08, subd. 6). Legislative and statewide offices are partisan and nominated at the August state primary.

Filing window: Statutory offsets, not fixed dates. A city or school office voted on in November with no primary: the window opens 112 days and closes 98 days before the general election (205.13, subd. 1a, as amended in 2025; 205A.06). Cities and districts with a primary: 84 to 70 days before the second-Tuesday-in-August primary. March town elections: 70 to 56 days before. County and state offices: 84 to 70 days before the August state primary in even years (204B.09). The clerk's office must be open from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the last day.

Key Minnesota dates
What	When	Note
Filing period opens, November 2027 city and school elections (no primary)	July 13, 2027	112th day before 2027-11-02 (205.13, subd. 1a; 205A.06). Applies only where the city or district holds odd-year elections; most Minnesota cities vote in even years.
Filing deadline, November 2027 city and school elections (no primary)	July 27, 2027	98th day before election day; the clerk must be open 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Filing period opens, 2027 cities and districts with an August primary	May 18, 2027	84 days before the 2027-08-10 municipal primary (205.13, subd. 1a; 205.065; 205A.06).
Filing deadline, 2027 cities and districts with an August primary	June 1, 2027	70 days before the municipal primary.
Filing period, March 2027 township elections	December 29, 2026	70 to 56 days before the 2027-03-09 annual town election: December 29, 2026 through January 12, 2027 (205.13, subd. 1a; 365.51).
Municipal and school district primary, 2027	August 10, 2027	Second Tuesday in August, only in cities and districts that have adopted a primary and drew enough candidates to need one (205.065; 205A.03).
Absentee voting begins, November 2027 election	September 17, 2027	46 days before election day, in person at the county auditor's office and by mail (203B.081).
Pre-registration deadline, November 2027 election	October 12, 2027	21 days before; mail forms by 5:00 p.m., online by 11:59 p.m. After this, register at the polls (201.061).
Election day, November 2027	November 2, 2027	First Tuesday after the first Monday in November (205.07, 205A.04).
County and legislative filing, 2028	Varies	84 to 70 days before the August 2028 state primary, with the county auditor (county offices) or the Secretary of State (204B.09).

Most Minnesota cities elect with the state ballot in even years. A council may move to odd years by ordinance adopted at least 180 days before the filing deadline, and a city may vote in even or odd years but not both (205.07). School boards make the same choice by resolution (205A.04). Ask the clerk which seats are up and in which year before you plan.
A candidate who will be out of the state during the filing period may file early (205.13, subd. 1b).

Campaign finance rules in Minnesota

State-level campaign finance in Minnesota is overseen by Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (state candidates); local filing officers under chapter 211A (city, school, county, township candidates).

Where local candidates file: You do not file with the Board. A city council or mayoral candidate files campaign financial reports with the city clerk, a school board candidate with the school district clerk, and a county candidate with the county auditor: the 'filing officer' is whoever accepts affidavits of candidacy for that office (211A.01, 211A.02). Reports are required only once you or your committee receive contributions or make disbursements of more than $750 in a calendar year. The Board's chapter 10A applies to candidates for state constitutional office, the Legislature, and judgeships (10A.01, subd. 10). In Hennepin County, county commissioner, county attorney, and sheriff candidates file with Hennepin County Elections under 211A, and city and school candidates file with their city or district (383B.041); Minneapolis runs an online portal for its candidates.

Contribution limits: Minn. Stat. 211A.12 caps what any individual or association may give a local candidate or committee: $600 in an election year for the office sought and $250 in any other year where the office's territory has 100,000 or fewer residents, and $1,000 in an election year and $250 in other years where the territory has more than 100,000 residents. The limit overrides conflicting home rule charter provisions. Contributions collected by volunteer committee members and delivered to the treasurer, and a spouse delivering the other spouse's check, are not treated as bundling. State legislative candidates follow the chapter 10A limits the Board publishes.

Reporting: Initial report within 14 days of passing $750 in a calendar year; in an election year, a report 10 days before the primary, 10 days before the general election, and 30 days after the general election; every year by January 31 until you file a final report; plus a certification of filing within 7 days after the general election (211A.02; Hennepin County and Minneapolis filing officer schedules).

Each report lists the candidate and office, the filer's contact information, total cash on hand for political purposes, total contributions and disbursements for the period, every vendor paid more than $100 (name, address, amount, date, purpose), and every contributor over $100 with name, address, employer or occupation, amount, and date (211A.02, subd. 2).
Minneapolis 2026 example due dates from the city filing officer: pre-primary August 1, pre-general October 24, certification of filing November 10, post-general December 3, annual report January 31, 2027.
Chapter 10A (Board jurisdiction) still governs political committees, political funds, and independent expenditures in Hennepin County races for county office, for cities of 75,000 or more, and for the Minneapolis school board, even though the candidates themselves file under 211A (383B.041, subd. 3).
Minnesota has no e-filing system for local candidates; reports are PDF or paper forms filed by mail, email, or fax with the clerk or auditor.

Limits and thresholds change. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm the current schedule with Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (state candidates); local filing officers under chapter 211A (city, school, county, township candidates) before you accept a check. Our campaign finance basics guide covers the bookkeeping every local candidate needs on day one.

How voting works in Minnesota

In person, with no-excuse mail voting. Polling-place voting on election day with same-day registration, plus no-excuse absentee voting by mail or in person during the 46 days before every election ('Any eligible voter may vote by absentee ballot', 203B.02; 203B.081). Towns, cities with fewer than 400 registered voters, and small precincts may run their elections entirely by mail (204B.45).

Early voting: In-person absentee voting at the county auditor's office, and at any additional sites the auditor designates, starts 46 days before the election. During the final 18 days, counties may offer direct balloting, where you feed your ballot into the counter instead of sealing it in an envelope (203B.081). Counties must post their locations and hours at least 14 days before voting begins.
Mail ballots: Any voter may request an absentee ballot from the county auditor or through the Secretary of State's online request tool; no reason is required (203B.02). In mail-ballot towns and precincts, ballots are mailed 46 to 28 days before the election; returned ballots must reach the auditor or clerk by 8:00 p.m. on election day (204B.45).
Registration deadline: Pre-registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on the 21st day before the election (11:59 p.m. for online applications). After that you register at the polls on election day with proof of residence, or a registered voter in the precinct can vouch for you (201.061).
Same-day registration: Yes

Knowing who has already voted: Order the Absentee Ballot Applicant List (everyone who has requested a ballot) and the Accepted Absentee Ballot List (everyone whose returned ballot has been accepted by the ballot board) from the Secretary of State for your area: $30 for any area, $46 statewide, comma-delimited, emailed within 1 to 10 business days, ordered by mail or in person with the same registered-voter certification as the voter list. Minn. Stat. 203B.12, subds. 8 and 10 make both lists public in the same manner as the public information list, and county auditors can supply the same data for their county. Each order is a one-time snapshot and the office will not hold standing orders for future elections, so re-order on a weekly cadence through the 46-day window. Election-day turnout only appears later in the voter file's voting history, which can lag up to six weeks.

Local government in Minnesota: what you can run for

Counties are governed by boards of commissioners elected by district to staggered four-year terms (375.025), with a county auditor who runs elections. Cities are either statutory cities (governed by chapter 412) or home rule charter cities that set their own council size and terms, and are classed by population, first class being the largest. Townships (towns) elect a board of supervisors and a clerk at March town meetings (365.51). Independent school districts elect boards; Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis) elects by district and at large and is treated separately in several statutes (383B.041). Hospital districts, soil and water conservation districts, and park boards (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Three Rivers Park District) also elect members.

City council member
Mayor
School board member
County commissioner
County sheriff
County attorney
Township supervisor
Township clerk
Park board commissioner (Minneapolis, Three Rivers)
Soil and water conservation district supervisor
Hospital district board member
State representative
State senator

When local elections happen: City general elections are the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, in even years by default or odd years by ordinance, never both (205.07). School district elections use the same November date in odd or even years by board resolution (205A.04). Township annual elections are the second Tuesday in March (365.51). County offices are on the even-year state ballot with an August primary (204B.09). The next odd-year date is November 2, 2027, with a municipal and school primary, where one exists, on August 10, 2027.

Running your Minnesota campaign on Culper

Culper does not license voter data in Minnesota today. You upload the Minnesota voter file described above as a CSV, and every feature runs on it: search and lists, plain-English queries, texting and email, block walking, and volunteer coordination. Online donation processing is in development; ask about timing on the onboarding call. Your file stays in your campaign's workspace and is never shared with another campaign.

Set up your Minnesota campaign in an afternoon

Upload the voter file, ask for your first list in plain English, and hand your volunteers the walking app. Signup is open to candidates in every state. Pricing is set after a short call so it matches the size of the race.

Get started Book a demo

Minnesota questions we get asked

Where does a city council candidate in Minnesota file campaign finance reports?

With the city clerk, not the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Minnesota chapter 211A puts city, school board, county, and township candidates under the local 'filing officer' who accepts affidavits of candidacy (211A.01, 211A.02). You owe nothing until you or your committee raise or spend more than $750 in a calendar year; then an initial report is due within 14 days, followed by reports 10 days before the primary and general election, 30 days after the general, and every January 31 until you file a final report. The Board handles only state constitutional, legislative, and judicial candidates under chapter 10A.

How much does the Minnesota voter file cost and who can buy it?

$46 for the whole state or $30 for any single county, city, school district, ward, precinct, or district, from the Minnesota Secretary of State. Only a registered Minnesota voter can order, and only for election, political, or law-enforcement purposes (Minn. Stat. 201.091). The comma-delimited file includes name, address, phone if the voter supplied one, birth year, voter ID, registration date, precinct and district codes, and full voting history by election. Orders go by mail or in person with a check, and arrive as an encrypted email link within five business days.

When is the candidate filing period for a 2027 city or school board election in Minnesota?

For a Minnesota city or school district that votes in November 2027 and does not hold a primary, the window runs July 13 through July 27, 2027: 112 to 98 days before the November 2 election (205.13, subd. 1a; 205A.06). If your city or district holds an August primary, you file May 18 through June 1, 2027, which is 84 to 70 days before the August 10 primary. First confirm with the clerk that your city actually elects in odd years; most Minnesota cities vote with the state ballot in even years (205.07).

What are the contribution limits for local candidates in Minnesota?

Under Minn. Stat. 211A.12, any individual or association may give a Minnesota city, school, county, or township candidate at most $600 in an election year and $250 in other years if the office's territory has 100,000 or fewer residents, or $1,000 in an election year and $250 in other years if it has more than 100,000. These limits apply statewide and override any city charter. Contributions over $100 must be itemized on your reports with the donor's employer or occupation (211A.02).

How do I find out who has already voted absentee in my Minnesota race?

Buy the Absentee Ballot Applicant List and the Accepted Absentee Ballot List from the Minnesota Secretary of State for your city, district, or county ($30 each per order; $46 statewide). Minn. Stat. 203B.12 makes both lists public on the same terms as the voter list, so you must be a registered Minnesota voter ordering for a political purpose. Each order is a snapshot delivered by email in 1 to 10 business days, so plan to re-order weekly during the 46-day absentee window. County auditors can provide the same data for their county.

Does Minnesota have same-day voter registration?

Yes. Minnesota pre-registration closes 21 days before an election, but anyone eligible can register at the polls on election day with a Minnesota driver's license or ID, an approved document, a student fee statement plus photo ID, a tribal ID, or the oath of a registered voter in the precinct who can vouch for up to eight people (201.061). For a local campaign this means your voter file undercounts your universe; keep a list of supporters who are not yet registered and plan to walk them in on election day.

Are Minnesota city and school board elections partisan?

No. Minnesota clerks place city and school board candidates on the ballot 'without partisan designation' (205.13; 205.065; 205A.03), and all county, city, and school district offices are nominated on the nonpartisan primary ballot with no party identification (204D.08, subd. 6). Only legislative, statewide, and federal offices carry party labels and go through the August partisan primary. A city or school district may adopt its own August primary to narrow a crowded field, but it is still a nonpartisan top-two-per-seat primary.

I am running in Minneapolis or Hennepin County. Is anything different in Minnesota's largest county?

Some things. Minneapolis charges higher filing fees by ordinance (mayor $500, city council $250, Park Board and Board of Estimate $100, school board $20), uses ranked-choice voting, and takes campaign finance reports through its own online portal, still under chapter 211A. Hennepin County commissioner, county attorney, and sheriff candidates file their 211A reports with Hennepin County Elections (383B.041). And for county office, cities of 75,000 or more, and the Minneapolis school board, PACs and independent spenders are regulated by the Campaign Finance Board under chapter 10A even though the candidates are not (383B.041, subd. 3).

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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the official sources below on September 9, 2026. Rules change between cycles; when a number here and the agency disagree, the agency is right.