With the summer reaching its second half and many places preparing for fall, the Crookston City Council and Crookston School District School Board are preparing for the General Election scheduled for Tuesday, November 8. With these upcoming elections, several City Council and School Board members are reaching the end of their terms, opening the filing period for new candidates that wish to run for the positions or offices.
The Crookston School Board is made up of six members, with each of them holding four-year terms. Half of the board members’ positions will be open this year for a term of four years each, while the other three will be up for their election in November of 2024. This way, there will always be some experienced members on the school board for every new set of terms. To be considered for the candidacy and have your name on the ballot sheet in time for the General Election, you must pay a filing fee of $2 to the Crookston Public Schools District Office in the Crookston High School. The candidates must also be at least 21 years old or more to run and must have been a resident of the Crookston School District for 30 days before the general election on November 8. They can also not have any other affidavit on file for any other office at the primary or next ensuing general election. “Candidates can file anytime between August 2 and August 16. They just have to stop here in the district office and see Marilyn. She has the packets and forms they have to fill out,” Crookston Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn explained. “It’s a $2 filing fee to get your official application in, and there’s a packet of information we give them that tells them about the responsibilities of a board member. There’s also some stuff about if they’re going to run a campaign, as they do in some bigger districts, you have to report your campaign finances, so there’s a little bit of paperwork, but it’s a one-page application that has to be filed here at the District Office by August 16.” Candidates have until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16, to file their candidacy to the school district clerk and pay the filing fee to enter for the nomination officially. Any candidates that decide to withdraw their candidacy for the board after they enter will have until Wednesday, August 17, to inform the school district of the decision and have them remove you from the ballot list.
For the Crookston City Council, there are five municipal offices open this term, the Mayor, Ward Two, Ward Four, Ward Six, and the At-Large Councilmember, with all of them being four-year terms as well. Many of the qualifications to be considered for candidacy are similar to the Crookston School Boards, such as having to be 21 years or older and paying the filing fee of $2. However, the living conditions for each office have their own special qualifications to become a candidate for them. “Our mayor is a four-year term, and Ward 2, 4, 6, and At-Large are four-year terms as well,” City Election Administrator Ashley Rystad explained. “To run for the Mayor and At-Large Offices, you have to live within the City of Crookston, and if you’re running for Ward 2, you would have to live within the Ward 2 boundary, and the same for Ward 4 and Ward 6.” Affidavits of candidacy for any of these offices may be picked up from City Clerk Ashley Rystad at City Hall beginning on August 2. They must be filed with her between August 2 and August 16 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday. With affidavits being accepted up until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16. If any candidates wish to withdraw their candidacy for the election, they will have until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, to inform Election Administrators Ashley Rystad and/or Ryan Lindtwed.
The General Election for the School Board and City Council will be held on Tuesday, November 8, with affidavits for candidacy being accepted from Tuesday, August 2 to August 16, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and until 5:00 p.m. on August 16. To vote in the primary election, you can go to the St Paul’s Lutheran Church at 1214 University Ave or the First Presbyterian Church at 510 N Broadway. If candidates wish to withdraw their candidacy for either position, they have until 5:00 p.m. on August 17 for the School Board and 5:00 p.m. on August 18 for the City Council. If you have any questions about becoming a candidate for the School Board, you can contact Crookston School District Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn at davekuehn@isd593.org or via phone at 218-281-5313 ext. 2102, or if you have questions about running for the City Council, you can contact Election Administrators Ashley Rystad at (218) 281-1232 or Ryan Lintwed at rlindtwed@crookston.mn.us or also at (218) 281-1232.
To learn what Ward you can qualify for, and where what location you should go to to vote for the City Council, the map of the City’s Wards and their voting locations can be seen below-
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