Our Election Guide includes candidates from all levels of government.
New in 2026, we're also offering printable PDF versions for statewide candidates and Aitkin, Beltrami and Itasca counties.
KAXE News' election guides are meant to provide information to empower and inform about voting and elections. We don’t want to tell you how to vote, but we want to play a role in empowering you to vote by providing unbiased and trustworthy reporting.
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Lorie Shaull/KAXEThese are the candidates who filed for office in Northern Minnesota for the 2026 election, including for city, school board and county races. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEMinnesotans will vote on the permanent school fund amendment, and Northern Minnesotans will decide on local school and township questions in the 2026 midterm election.
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Lorie Shaull via Flickr
Early voting options in Minnesota began on Sept. 18, 2026. Those who aren't yet registered can do so now, or even on Election Day.
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Education Minnesota
In the 2026 midterms, Minnesotans will vote on a constitutional amendment to increase the yearly allotment from the Permanent School Fund. For some, the measure is decades in the making.
What do you want to know before Election Day?
Email us at news@kaxe.org.
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Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerThe lieutenant governor has helped reshape Minnesota’s relationship with tribal nations. Now she hopes to bring that approach to Washington. -
Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerRepublican Michele Tafoya and Democrat Peggy Flanagan sparred over foreign policy, immigration, violent crime, fraud and healthcare.
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The candidates for governor were in the Brainerd lakes area Oct. 19, 2026, for a debate hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. It was a rare opportunity for direct contrast. -
The complaint by Deputy Aaron Ammerman against Sheriff Bryan Welk alleges inappropriate sharing of nude images and video. Welk says these claims are false and politically motivated. -
Early Voting, a method allowing voters to cast their ballot early in a traditional manner, opened Oct. 16, 2026. Minnesotans already cast over 202,000 ballots in the first four weeks of absentee voting, which began Sept. 18. -
Demuth faces stiff political headwinds, but her greatest obstacle may be her quiet refusal to share who she is and what’s propelled her to seek the governor’s office. -
In this contributed essay, Majority in the Middle Executive Director Shannon Watson explores political divides, after the election season. -
Funding for public schools comprises nearly 40% of the state budget and is the single biggest line item. It accounts for about two-thirds of all spending on public schools in Minnesota. -
KAXE's online guide features candidates at all levels who will be on Northern MN ballots. Free, printable PDFs of guides covering statewide races and local races in Aitkin, Beltrami and Itasca counties are available now. -
Deputy Aaron Ammerman, who is running for Cass County sheriff, filed the complaint against Sheriff Bryan Welk in January. An investigation was closed with no apparent action. -
While Democrats running for the U.S. House have an advantage this year, Stauber has positioned himself well in the Iron Range district. -
State Sen. (and meteorologist) Rob Kupec and GOP challenger Austin Peterson are squaring off in the race to represent the Moorhead area in St. Paul.
