How to run for local office in Minnesota: the 2027 guide

The short answer

In Minnesota, you get onto a town, city or school board ballot by filing an affidavit of candidacy with the right clerk during a two-week filing window. With it, you pay a small filing fee, $2 for towns, small cities and school districts under state law, or you present a petition in place of the fee. No party nomination is involved. Local candidates appear on the ballot without a party label, and the petition is optional: it replaces only the fee.

In 2027, Minnesota has three kinds of local races. Towns (often called townships) that vote in March hold their town election on Tuesday, March 9, 2027, and their candidates file from Tuesday, December 29, 2026 to Tuesday, January 12, 2027. Cities that chose odd-year elections, and school districts that hold odd-year elections, vote on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Their candidates file from Tuesday, May 18 to Tuesday, June 1, 2027 if there is an August 10 primary, or from Tuesday, July 13 to Tuesday, July 27, 2027 if there is not.

Before you plan a 2027 race, confirm that your office is on the 2027 ballot. State law makes the even-numbered year the default for city elections, and a city votes in an odd year only if its council adopted an ordinance to do so. School boards choose odd or even years themselves. If your city or school district votes in even years, its next regular election is Tuesday, November 7, 2028.

This guide follows the steps in order. The rules come from the Minnesota Statutes, cited in the text as "Minn. Stat." with the section number. The 2027 dates are taken or calculated from those statutes rather than copied from an official calendar, so confirm your dates with your clerk. This is not legal advice. If you have never run for anything before, our post on how to run for local office with no experience covers the groundwork that applies in any state.

What is on Minnesota's 2027 ballot.

Town offices, in towns that vote in March. A town's general election is held on the second Tuesday in March, together with the annual town meeting, unless the town moved it to November with its voters' approval (Minn. Stat. 205.075 and 365.51). By default a town board has three supervisors, each elected to a three-year term, with terms staggered so that one seat is normally elected each year. A town that adopted "option A" has a five-member board. A town treasurer is elected in odd-numbered years and a clerk in even-numbered years, each for two years, unless the voters made the office appointed or combined the clerk and treasurer (Minn. Stat. 367.03 and 367.30). So a March town that elects its officers chooses a supervisor and a treasurer in 2027. Our guide on how to run for township supervisor in Minnesota covers the town offices.

City offices, in cities that chose odd years. In a statutory city, the mayor serves a two-year or four-year term and council members serve four-year terms (Minn. Stat. 412.02). A home rule charter city sets its offices and terms in its charter. See our guides on how to run for city council in Minnesota and how to run for mayor in Minnesota.

School board, in districts that hold odd-year elections. An independent school district's board has six elected members, or seven if the district's voters approved a seven-member board, each serving a four-year term (Minn. Stat. 123B.09). Our guide on how to run for school board in Minnesota covers the details.

Not on the 2027 ballot. Cities and school districts that vote in even years hold no regular election in 2027, and neither do towns that moved to November in even years. Step 2 explains how to check.

Key 2027 dates at a glance.

Except for April 15, every date in this table is computed from state law. Our Minnesota 2027 local election calendar lists every date in order, including the notice, withdrawal, voter registration and absentee voting dates for each track.

Step 1

Check that you qualify.

Every local candidate files an affidavit of candidacy in the form set by state law. It is a sworn statement that you meet the requirements below (Minn. Stat. 204B.06). Check each one before you file.

• You are an eligible voter. That means you are at least 18, a United States citizen and a Minnesota resident for at least 20 days before the election. A person is not eligible while incarcerated for a felony, while under a guardianship order that revokes the right to vote, or after being found legally incompetent by a court (Minn. Stat. 201.014).
• You are, or will be when you take office, at least 21 years old.
• You will have lived in the district for 30 days before the general election. For a ward or district seat, that means the ward or district, not just the city.
• You meet any other qualification the law sets for the office. For example, a person convicted of an offense that requires registration as a sex offender under section 243.166 may not file for school board (Minn. Stat. 205A.06). In a statutory city, neither the mayor nor a council member may be employed full time by the city (Minn. Stat. 412.02).
• You have no other affidavit on file for the same election. One exception matters for rural candidates: a school board candidate may also file for town supervisor, unless that town board exercises the powers of a statutory city (Minn. Stat. 204B.06, subd. 9).

Bring proof of your address. When you file, you must show the clerk a valid driver's license or state ID card with your current address, or another document accepted as proof of residence for election day registration. If the address on your affidavit does not match the document, the clerk must not accept the affidavit (Minn. Stat. 204B.06, subd. 1b). If you have moved recently, update your license before the window opens.

Step 2

Confirm that your office is on the 2027 ballot.

Towns. Ask your town clerk whether the town votes in March or in November, and which seats are open. If your town voted to move its election to November, the March dates in this guide do not apply.

Cities. City elections default to the even-numbered year. A council can choose the odd year by an ordinance passed at least 180 days before the first day to file, and the change takes effect 240 days after it is passed and published (Minn. Stat. 205.07). A city may hold its regular elections in even years or odd years, but not both. Ask your city clerk which year your city uses.

School districts. The school board chooses the year by resolution, and can change it with a resolution approved at least four weeks before filing opens (Minn. Stat. 205A.04). Ask the school district office.

Primaries. A city or school district holds an August primary only if its council or board adopted one by April 15 of the election year, and the choice stays in place until it is revoked (Minn. Stat. 205.065 and 205A.03). Even then, an office goes on the primary ballot only when more than twice as many candidates file as there are seats. The top two candidates for each seat, or twice as many as there are seats, go on to November.

Watch for the clerk's notice. At least two weeks before filing opens, the clerk must publish a notice of the first and last days to file and the closing time on the last day. The clerk must also post a similar notice at least ten days before filing opens (Minn. Stat. 205.13 and 205A.06). For March towns, the published notice is due by Tuesday, December 15, 2026, based on state law. If you have not seen a notice, call the clerk or your county auditor.

Step 3

File your affidavit of candidacy.

Where to file.

• Town offices: with the town clerk. With the county auditor's approval, the town clerk may let candidates file with the county auditor instead (Minn. Stat. 205.13).
• City offices: with the city clerk.
• School board: with the school district clerk (Minn. Stat. 205A.06).

When to file. File inside your window: Tuesday, December 29, 2026 to Tuesday, January 12, 2027 for March towns; Tuesday, May 18 to Tuesday, June 1, 2027 where there is an August primary; or Tuesday, July 13 to Tuesday, July 27, 2027 where there is not. These windows come from Minn. Stat. 205.13, subd. 1a, and 205A.06, subd. 1a. A city or town clerk's office must be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the last day of the window, but filing earlier leaves time to fix a problem. If you will be out of state for the whole window, you may file in person during the seven days before you leave and give the reason in writing (Minn. Stat. 205.13, subd. 1b, and 205A.06, subd. 1c).

What the affidavit asks for. Get the form from your clerk. Besides the eligibility statements in Step 1, it asks for:

• the office you are seeking, and the specific seat if the clerk asks for it;
• your name for the ballot, which must be your true name or the name you are commonly known by, with a phonetic spelling or a choice of the voting equipment's default pronunciation;
• a telephone number;
• a non-government email address for you or your campaign, or a statement that you have none; and
• your current home address. You may ask that the home address be kept private, in which case you list it on a separate form and give a campaign mailing address on the affidavit.

Pay the fee or present a petition. The clerk places your name on the ballot once the proper fee is received, or once you present a valid petition in place of the fee. Step 4 explains both.

If you change your mind. You may withdraw by filing an affidavit of withdrawal with the clerk by 5 p.m. two days after the filing window closes. For March towns, that is Thursday, January 14, 2027, based on state law. After that, no candidate may withdraw (Minn. Stat. 205.13, subd. 6).

Step 4

Pay the fee, or file a petition in its place.

Filing fees

State law sets these default fees for local offices (Minn. Stat. 205.13, subd. 3, and 205A.06, subd. 3):

A home rule charter city that sets its fees in its charter is not bound by these limits. City classes are set by population in Minn. Stat. 410.01. Ask your clerk for the fee that applies to your office, and note that a fee is not refunded once you have filed (Minn. Stat. 204B.11).

The petition in place of the fee

Instead of paying, you may present a petition when you file your affidavit (Minn. Stat. 204B.11, subd. 2). The petition replaces the fee only. You still file the affidavit, and the petition does not put you on the ballot by itself.

• How many signatures. The lesser of 500 signatures or 5 percent of the total votes cast in the town, city, ward or district at the last general election at which the office was on the ballot. As an example only, if 240 votes were cast, 5 percent is 12 signatures. If 20,000 votes were cast, the 500-signature cap applies.
• Who may sign. Any person eligible to vote for you.
• When it is due. At the time you file the affidavit, so it must be complete before you go to the clerk. No statute read for this guide sets an earliest date to start collecting signatures.
• The form. The official who receives petitions must provide sample petition forms on request, so ask your clerk for one before you start.

With a $2 fee for towns, small cities and school districts, paying is usually the simpler choice. A petition can make sense where a charter or ordinance sets a higher fee. School board candidates may use a petition in place of the fee, but no one may be nominated to a school board by a nominating petition (Minn. Stat. 205A.06). In a city of the first class whose charter uses nominating petitions, a separate rule applies: at least 500 signatures or 2 percent of the voters at the last municipal general election, whichever is greater (Minn. Stat. 205.13, subd. 5). Ask that city's clerk how its charter works.

Step 5

Plan the campaign around your election date.

Your plan depends on your track, but the voter dates follow the same rules:

• Registration. Voters may register or update a registration until 5 p.m. on the 21st day before the election in person or by mail, or until 11:59 p.m. that day online. Based on state law, that is Tuesday, February 16, 2027 for the March 9 town election, Tuesday, July 20, 2027 for the August 10 primary and Tuesday, October 12, 2027 for the November 2 election. Eligible voters may also register at the polling place on election day with proof of residence (Minn. Stat. 201.061).
• Absentee voting in person. For a March town election, voters may vote absentee in person during the 30 days before the election. For other elections, the period is the 46 days before the election, which begins Friday, September 17, 2027 for November 2, based on state law (Minn. Stat. 203B.081). Ask your clerk or county auditor for places and hours.
• Polling hours. Hours vary by community, so ask your clerk before you tell supporters when to vote.

Meeting voters at their doors is a practical way to campaign for a town, ward or district seat. A simple approach is to divide your town, ward or district into areas, knock on each area once before absentee voting opens, and return to households that were undecided. If volunteers help, Beacon, a door-to-door canvassing app, lets you draw turf (the area each volunteer covers) on a map, assign it, give canvassers walk lists ordered by distance, and record a result at each door, such as contacted, not home or come back later.

Town candidates have the shortest campaign, with eight weeks between the close of filing and the March 9 election. Our campaign plan to Minnesota's March 9, 2027 town elections turns those weeks into a week-by-week schedule that starts this fall.

Step 6

Text the supporters who asked to hear from you.

Set texting up in this order with CampaignCNX+.

1. Form your committee and get an EIN. Campaign Verify is the check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a political sender is a real campaign. It is open to 527 committees (527 is the federal tax status of a political committee) that have an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Candidates with no committee, and sole proprietors, are not eligible.
2. Check that your filing is viewable online. Before you request Campaign Verify, ask your filing officer or county auditor whether your committee's filing is posted online, and where. If you cannot find it, contact Campaign Verify Support before you pay. Campaign Verify decides eligibility, and we cannot promise it.
3. Request at the right time. Campaign Verify costs $95 per two-year cycle, and the PIN goes only to the contact details on your filing. A request made before Sunday, November 15, 2026 expires on Sunday, January 31, 2027, before the March town election. A request made on or after November 15, 2026 lasts until Wednesday, January 31, 2029, which covers every 2027 election.
4. Open your account and let CampaignCNX+ file your registration. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration for you, either 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number, a one-time $75 for your first local line) or toll-free. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days. You buy the $95 Campaign Verify token from Campaign Verify, and CampaignCNX+ files it with your registration.
5. Add only people who gave written permission. Text supporters who gave prior express written consent, for example on a sign-up sheet that plainly says they agree to receive campaign texts, with the date recorded. Record the consent date and source in a custom field, tag where you met each person, and put supporters in a group. Never text everyone who signed a petition or everyone on a voter list.
6. Write short messages and schedule them. Keep each text under 160 characters, name the campaign, and end the first message with "Reply STOP to opt out." STOP, HELP and START replies are handled automatically. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone.

100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. For the full setup, read texting voters in a Minnesota local race. Our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates explains verification in more depth, and our Midwest campaign texting page covers texting across the region.

Guides for each part of the race.

• Minnesota 2027 local election calendar: towns, cities and school districts
• How to run for township supervisor in Minnesota
• How to run for city council in Minnesota
• How to run for mayor in Minnesota
• How to run for school board in Minnesota
• A campaign plan to Minnesota's March 9, 2027 town elections
• Texting voters in a Minnesota local race: consent and setup