Minnesota township elections are March 10. Here's what you need to know to vote
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Every year on the second Tuesday in March, voters in Minnesota townships gather for elections and their annual meeting. This year, township elections will take place on March 10.
Township days are uniquely hyper-local elections with voters serving two purposes: electing their township board and deciding the future of their township through its annual meeting.
“It's a very voter-focused form of government,” said Graham Berg-Moberg, the in-house counsel for the Minnesota Association of Townships. “If you're into direct democracy, townships are your thing.”
At its core, townships are the most grassroots model of local government in the U.S. Voters have a direct say in local affairs like setting a levy for how much they pay in taxes; new building developments like an update to town hall or a park; road upkeep and improvements; and electing people to serve on the township board.
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“The big-ticket item is that they get to vote on how much they're taxed, which is something that just doesn't really happen outside of this form of government,” Berg-Moberg said. “It's not just that. There's a whole list of powers that Minnesota law provides to the voters at this meeting that just doesn't exist anywhere else in government.”
What is a township? Where are they in Minnesota?
16 percent of Minnesotans live in townships, which is just under 1 million people. There’s about 1,700 townships across the state with most having a population of under 500 people.
Township grids are 6 miles by 6 miles and were initially invented by Thomas Jefferson 240 years ago. All it took was 25 voters, and the area could petition to become a township. Now, townships remain in some areas of the country as a form of local government.
In Minnesota, most townships can be found through the south, southeast and western regions of the state. Northern Minnesota has fewer townships since much of the area is unincorporated. Around the Twin Cities, there are also fewer townships where cities are the primary form of local government.
Only two Minnesota counties, Hennepin and Koochiching counties, have no townships.
One of the most practical matters townships are responsible for is to maintain roads. They oversee a combined 55,000 miles of roadways in the state, which is the most by any unit of government in Minnesota.
The framework for township leadership is legislative. They have a board of three supervisors, an elected clerk and an elected treasurer. There are no executives like a mayor.
What happens if no one runs for township races? Can there be write-ins?
Township elections often face two possibilities: an uncontested race — meaning there’s only one candidate — or no one runs.
If there are no candidates, voters can write in the name of someone they want to serve, or the board has the power to appoint someone.
“We do tend to recommend that folks do that, because, of course, you don't want to end up in a situation where you don't have enough people to make quorum, which does happen sometimes,” Berg-Moberg said.
While certain aspects of township government are written into state statutes, most of those details can be modified to match a township’s specific needs, including condensing roles on the board or changing the dates of future elections.
Who can vote and participate in township meetings?
The requirements are the same as any election: you must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident in the township you’re voting in. These requirements also apply to the annual meeting.
Where can I find township election information?
Since township elections are hyper-local, most of the information can be found on-site at town halls. For example, a town finance report is often taped to the door of the town hall 30 minutes before the annual meeting begins. This analog approach makes things direct and efficient, Berg-Moberg said.
With voters and elected officials present to make decisions on the spot, things move relatively quickly, which also makes changes across the community more streamlined, said Berg-Moberg.
