Filing for Township Offices

Township offices include Town Clerk, Town Supervisor, and Town Treasurer. See About Township Offices below for more information about the responsibilities of these positions.

Township offices may have a term length of two, three, four, or six years. Most have elections every year in March, but some cities have their regularly scheduled elections in even years. Contact the town clerk to learn which offices will be on the ballot at the upcoming election. The clerk will also have information about filing for any special elections to fill vacancies.

Qualifications

Candidates for an elected township office must:

• be eligible to vote in Minnesota
• be at least 21 years old upon assuming office
• have maintained residence in their district for at least 30 days before the general election
• have not filed for another office at the upcoming primary or general election (unless authorized by Minn. Stat. 204B.06, subd. 9)

How to File

Submit the affidavit and filing fee to your town clerk during the filing period.

Affidavit of Candidacy

Read instructions on the affidavit of candidacy carefully. Filing reminders are included on the back of the form.

Filing Fee

There is a $2 filing fee in Minnesota for township candidates.

Any candidate may choose to submit a Petition in Place of Filing Fee instead of paying the filing fee. The number of signatures required is the lesser of 500 signatures or 5% of the total number of votes cast in the last general election that included that office (Minn. Stat. 204B.11, subd. 2 (d)).

Filing Period

The filing dates for township offices such as Town Supervisor, Town Clerk, and Town Treasurer depend on whether the town holds its elections in March or November.

• Candidates in towns that hold elections in March may file from December 30, 2025 until January 13, 2026 at 5 p.m.
• Candidates in towns that hold elections in November may file from July 14, 2026 until July 28, 2026 at 5 p.m.

Withdrawal

A candidate who has filed for office may remove their name from the ballot by filing an affidavit of withdrawal. Candidates may withdraw within the filing period, or by 5:00 p.m. within two days of the end of the filing period. The affidavit of withdrawal is filed with the town clerk.

Write-In Candidates

All write-in votes are individually tallied without the need for a written request, unless a township adopts a resolution requiring that write-in votes only be individually tallied if the total number of write-in votes is equal or greater than the fewest number of non-write-in votes for a candidate on the ballot.

About Town Offices

Town Clerk

The town clerk keeps all of the town's records, such as minutes from meetings of the town supervisors. The town clerk also keeps copies of the town's laws and is often in charge of conducting the town's elections. Term lengths are 2 or 4 years. Contact the town clerk for more information.

Town Supervisor

A town supervisor serves on the town board of supervisors. The board makes any decisions on behalf of the town. This includes entering into or awarding contracts, authorizing spending, or adopting ordinances and resolutions. Term lengths are usually 4 or 6 years, but sometimes shorter. Contact the town clerk for more information.

Town Treasurer

The town treasurer is responsible for all administrative and management work involving receipt, expenditure, and custody of municipal funds, the investment and borrowing of money, the custody of tax title properties, and the collection of all money due to the town. Position may involve collection, treasury, debt management, benefit administration, bookkeeping, human resource duties and filing mandate reports with various agencies. Term lengths are 2 or 4 years. Contact the town clerk for more information.