The first day of the candidate filing period for all federal, state and county offices was a busy one in Murray County. As of May 19, two people had filed for County Commissioner District 3 - Tyson VanPeursum and incumbent Dennis Welgraven. For County Commissioner District 4, Judy Onken Laboda has filed. Also filing as incumbents for their current county office are Auditor/Treasurer Heidi Winter, Recorder Karen Brown, Sheriff Heath Landsman and Attorney Travis J Smith.
The filing period closes on June 2, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. State and county candidates may file at their county election office or with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State at the Veteran’s Service Building in St. Paul. Candidates for federal office may only file with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Candidates for local offices where a primary is possible must file during the current candidate filing period (May 19 – June 2, 2026). If the jurisdiction does not hold primaries, the candidate filing period is will begin on July 14, 2026 and end on July 28, 2026.
Requirements for candidates vary by the office type and political party affiliation. Minnesotans can find qualifications and filing instructions for each office in the updated Become a Candidate section of mnvotes.gov.
New laws have changed the process for candidates when filing, this will be the first statewide candidate filing period where state and local candidates are required to show a photo ID and provide proof of residence to the filing officer when submitting their affidavit. Federal candidates, as well as candidates for judicial office, county attorney, and county sheriff are exempt from this requirement.
