NEW ULM – The November elections are a little over five months away, but for any candidate who wants to appear on the ballot, the filing period begins now.

The election filing period for Nov. 3 general election begins 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 19. Candidate for county, state and federal offices must file an affidavit of candidacy between now and 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. All filing offices will be closed, Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.

City office

In New Ulm, there are three seats up for election this year: Ward 2 City Councilor; Ward 4 City Councilor and Mayor. The incumbents for these seats are Eric Warmka, Larry Mack and Kathleen Backer.

Candidates wishing to file candidacy must submit an affidavit at City Hall before the closing of the filing period at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2.

All city candidates must be eligible to vote in Minnesota, be at least 21 years; have maintained residence in the district at least 30 days before the general election.

County office

In Brown County, there are eight offices up for election in 2026, including three Brown County Commissioner seats, County Attorney, County Recorder, County Sheriff and two Brown Soil and Water Conservation Districts (BSWCD).

The three commissioners seats up for election are District 2, District 4 and District 5. The incumbents for the seats are Anton Berg, Brian Braun and Jeffrey Veerkamp.

BSWCD 3 and BSWCD 5 are up for election. BSWCD 3 covers Eden, Home, Prairieville and Stark townships and the cities of Sleepy Eye, Evan and Cobden. BSWCD 5 covers Cottonwood, Milford and Sigel townships and city of New Ulm.

All county candidates must be eligible to vote in Minnesota, be at least 21 years; have maintained residence in the district at least 30 days before the general election.

All County Attorney candidates must be licensed to practice law in Minnesota.

All County Sheriff candidates must be licensed as peace officer in Minnesota.

State office

Candidates filing for state offices may also file at the Secretary of State Office or with their local county auditor.

There are seven state legislative offices on the 2026 ballot: State Sen. District 19, State Sen. District 22, State Sen. District 58, State Representative District 19A, State Rep. District 22B, State Rep. District 58A and State Rep. District State Rep. District 58B.

State executive offices are Gov. and Lt. Gov, Secretary of State, State Auditor and Attorney General.

Federal office

Candidates looking to file for federal offices must file with the Secretary of State, located in the Veterans Service Building in St. Paul. 20 W 12th St., St. Paul, MN 55155.

In Minnesota, there are three federal offices up for election in 2026: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative District 1 and U.S. Representative for District 2.

Judicial office

Candidates for judicial office can file with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State or with the county auditor in the county where the candidate resides. A candidate filing for one of the Minnesota Court of Appeals seats that has been designated for one of the congressional districts must be a resident of that congressional district.

All judicial candidates must be licensed to practice law in Minnesota.