GRAND RAPIDS — Itasca County will have a special election early next year to fill the County Board seat left vacant by Burl Ives, who died in September.
Ives was up for reelection this year for the District 4 seat. He died too close to Election Day for his name to be removed from the ballot.
District 4 residents voted to reelect Ives, who received 72% of the vote, triggering the special election. District 4 is in southwestern Itasca County and includes southwestern Grand Rapids and Harris, Blackberry, Splithand, Wildwood and Spang townships.
The Itasca County Board officially declared Ives' seat vacant for a second time and set the special election at its Nov. 19 work session.
Itasca County Auditor-Treasurer Austin Rohling explained to the board that the election will run just like any other.
“So if you’re in a mail-in, mailing district — which there is four in that district — you’ll receive a mail-in ballot," he said. "If you’re an automatic absentee, you will receive an absentee ballot. If you have a polling location, wherever you voted on November here, will be where you vote for that special election.”
The special election will be Feb. 11, unless more than two candidates file. In that case, the primary will be Feb. 11, and the special election will be April 8.
The filing period for candidates opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, and closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. Candidates can file in person at the county auditor’s office or by mail.
-
And: Four Northland organizations recieve child care grants; men encouraged to wear sunscreen and get skin checks; and Eveleth plans to replace the "Big Stick." -
Contributed/Tara Winstead via PexelsResearch shows men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. -
Co-hosts Charlie Mitchell and Heidi Holtan delight in tiny toads, listen to catbirds, and wonder at crab spiders.Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe! -
Contributed/InciWebThe U.S. Forest Service is also banning campfires amid dry conditions. The closures and campfire ban go into effect July 11, 2026.
