Beltrami County opens 2026 candidate filing window May 19

Anyone planning to run in Beltrami County has a narrow two-week window to get on the 2026 ballot. The county posted its 2026 Election Notice and Candidate Filing Notice on May 7, setting filing from 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, through 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, at the Beltrami County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 701 Minnesota Ave. NW, Suite 220, in Bemidji.

That deadline matters because the offices on the line shape daily life in the county, from property taxes and road work to policing and public services. Beltrami County’s elections office says it administers federal, state and county elections, while also assisting city, township and school district elections, making it the local hub for both candidates and voters as the 2026 cycle takes shape.

The filing period arrives as Minnesota enters the first statewide candidate filing season under new rules that require state and local candidates to show photo ID and provide proof of residence when filing. The exceptions are for federal candidates and candidates for judicial office, county attorney and county sheriff. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon announced the updated candidate resources, affidavits and 2026 Campaign Manual on April 21, before the filing window opened.

Beltrami County’s election calendar already maps out a busy year. It lists a township election for March 10, a primary election for Aug. 11 and a general election for Nov. 3. For local offices where a primary is possible, Minnesota says filing runs May 19 through June 2; in jurisdictions without primaries, local filing runs July 14 through July 28. Beltrami County also says candidates for county, city, township and school district offices must file campaign finance reports.

The filing window lands in a county still adjusting to redrawn political maps. A 2024 court-approved redistricting plan changed parts of commissioner districts in Bemidji, Blackduck and several townships, and elections were held in all five newly drawn county commissioner districts. The current Beltrami County Board of Commissioners lists Craig Gaasvig, Joe Gould, Scott Winger, Tim Sumner and John Carlson. The county also names the Auditor-Treasurer, Sheriff and County Attorney among its elected local offices.

Bemidji’s 2026 political calendar is wide-ranging as well, with three Bemidji City Council seats, three Bemidji Area Schools board seats and Northern Township’s transition toward becoming a city all part of the season. With a county population of 46,228 in the 2020 Census, even a short filing window can decide who gets on the ballot and who gets a voice in the next round of local decisions. JoDee Treat, who leads the Auditor-Treasurer’s office, is the public point of contact for elections administration in Beltrami County.