The first local special election of the year was Feb. 10, and two northwest Minnesota counties hosted special elections to fill vacancies on their county boards of commissioners.
Robert Durant will now represent Mahnomen County District 1, which is the city of Mahnomen’s district. He garnered 46 votes compared to his opponent, Brian Ose, with 40 votes. Julie Hanson earned all 19 of the special election’s write-in results.
Ross Pape was sworn in Tuesday, Feb. 17, after being successful in the Polk County special election for Commissioner District 5. The district includes wards in East Grand Forks and surrounding townships. Pape garnered 321 votes compared to his opponent, Brad Grunhovd, who received 79 votes.
Most special elections can only occur on specific dates, per state statute. For 2026 those dates are:
- Feb. 10
- April 14
- May 12
- Aug. 11
The next special elections in Northern Minnesota are April 14, when the Aitkin and Staples-Motley school districts will ask voters to approve building projects.
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And: A new bill in the Minnesota Legislature would allow small school districts to shrink their school board size. -
Contributed/Beltrami CountyIn a Thursday, March 12, 2026, order, Judge Jeanine Brand said the attorney general’s office showed sufficient probable cause for the case against Michelle R. Skroch to move forward. -
Contributed/US House Clerk YouTube screenshotThe legislation was previously introduced in the Senate and aims to prevent fraud in the child care assistance program. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota condemned the bill's name. -
Contributed/Minnesota Senate Media Services via YouTubeDistricts with fewer than a thousand students could ask voters to approve reducing board membership from six to five. Small districts often struggle to fill out their boards.
