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Tuesday, November 8 is election day in Minnesota... although thousands of people have already cast ballots by participating in the expanded absentee voting process that began weeks ago.

Local polling sites at two township halls, in Nessel and Lent, will have township supervisors on the ballots.  All the annual meetings continue to be held in March,  but these two Town Boards went to the general election voting cycle. Lent has three incumbents filing for three seats—Brian Seekon, Troy Nelson and Jess Eischens. The term now held by Eischens is also being sought by Jeffrey Barrett.

Chisago Lakes District 2144 has two ballot questions for resident-taxpayers.  Supt. Dean Jennissen has a final column on the questions this week, see the School page inside.

There are candidates vying for both the Chisago Lakes and North Branch school boards.  North Branch Dist. 138 school board candidates are featured in a videotaped Q and A segment on the district’s Youtube channel hosted by Community Education and League of Women Voters in North Branch.

The Eighth District Congressional race is on all Chisago county ballots, selecting from main candidates DFLer Jen Schultz and incumbent Republican Pete Stauber.

All five county commissioner seats are up for election.  Candidates will be dependent on your address. There are races in a newly-drawn North Branch-only district 1, with Jim Swenson and Tim MacMillan seeking that office. The newly-drawn district 2 is pitting two sitting commissioners against each other, Rick Greene and Chris DuBose.  

Ben Montzka, representing the greater Wyoming area and Marlys Dunne, Chisago City-Lindstrom,  are unopposed for re-election to the County Board.
District 5 has Cindy Erickson and Dan Dahlberg on the ballot.  The district’s longtime Commissioner Mike Robinson passed away mid-term, and this election will put somebody in that office representing the north third of the county.

For state offices:  Chisago County voters will choose between incumbent District 28 Senator Mark Koran and Victoria Ann Bird.  

District 28B House Representative Anne Neu Brindley is being challenged by Katie Malchow.  

Rep. Brian Johnson, Dist. 28A, is being challenged by Erik Johnson.

All the area district court judges will also be up for re-election.

Local mayoral and city council candidates will be on the ballots, and soil and water board members.

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