The Ballot Brief
56241

Who is on the ballot in 56241?

Yellow Medicine County, MN

Reported by The Ballot Brief Editorial Team. Updated as public election and video sources change.

Fields below reflect the November 3, 2026 general election ballot as races are certified.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

15 races and 1 ballot question in your ZIP preview.

About this preview
County and municipal contests depend on your exact address: use the address lookup below for the full slate. Every race links to official sources on the Minnesota voter hub.

56241 sample ballot preview

U.S. House, Minnesota District 7
2 candidates
Federal ▾
Michelle Fischbach portrait
MF
Michelle Fischbach
REP INCUMBENT
Biography
Fischbach is a sitting member of the U.S. House representing Minnesota's Seventh District who previously served as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and as the first woman President of the Minnesota Senate; she holds a B.A. from St. Cloud State University and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Says the unborn have a fundamental right to life and supports defending the sanctity of life
  • Says the right to keep and bear arms must be vigilantly defended
  • Backs zero based budgeting, building the federal budget up from zero rather than prior spending
Key voting record
Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the House 218-214 in July 2025. Supported
Voted yes on the Laken Riley Act, expanding federal detention of certain immigrants charged with theft or violent crimes, which passed the House 263-156 in January 2025. Supported
Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the House 231-196 in September 2025. Supported
Campaign siteFull profile
Erik Osberg portrait
EO
Erik Osberg
DEM
Biography
Rural Rebound Initiative Coordinator for Otter Tail County for the past nine years and a first-time candidate from Wadena, per Valley News Live.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Defend the Constitution
  • Get corporate money out of politics
  • Health care for all
Campaign siteFull profile
About this race
Candidate list from the Minnesota Secretary of State, as certified for the August 11, 2026 primary. Each party's primary winner advanced to the November 3 general ballot; candidates who filed by petition appear only on the November ballot. The August 11 DFL primary is decided: Erik Osberg won with 65.70 percent over Steve Carlson (34.30). Incumbent Michelle Fischbach was the sole Republican filer. Vote shares are unofficial until the state canvass.
U.S. Senate
4 candidates
Federal ▾
Peggy Flanagan portrait
PF
Peggy Flanagan
Biography
Flanagan serves as Minnesota's lieutenant governor, a position held since 2019, per the campaign site. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Nation and holds a degree from the University of Minnesota, per the campaign site. The campaign site says Flanagan's background includes work as a nonprofit executive director, an organizational trainer, and a state legislator, and that Flanagan was elected to the Minneapolis School Board at age 25, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Ending corruption
  • Healthcare
  • Affording your life
Campaign siteFull profile
Michele Tafoya portrait
MT
Michele Tafoya
REP
Biography
Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and a former NFL sideline reporter whose career spanned nearly three decades, per the campaign site. The campaign site says she retired after covering Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 and is now a political and cultural commentator.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Stop the fraud
  • Law and order
  • Cut costs and taxes for the middle class
Campaign siteFull profile
MS
Marisa Simonetti
Biography
Marisa Simonetti is the independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat, listed as Independent (no party) on the Minnesota Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table. The campaign site calls the campaign Marisa for Minnesota, with the message We the People vs. The System, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Energy
Campaign siteFull profile
RW
Rebecca Whiting
Biography
Rebecca Whiting is the Libertarian Party candidate on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table. The campaign site, whiting4senate.us, invites visitors to join the movement to #EndTheWars and #DefundTheGovernment, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • No more wars
  • No more entangling alliances
  • Bring the troops home
Campaign siteFull profile
Governor
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
AK
Amy Klobuchar
DEM
Biography
Klobuchar is a sitting U.S. Senator seeking the Minnesota governorship; she previously served as a county prosecutor and is the granddaughter of an iron-ore miner and the daughter of a newspaperman and a second-grade teacher, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Lower costs for Minnesotans
  • Make government accountable and root out fraud
  • Prepare Minnesota's workforce for the future
Campaign siteFull profile
Lisa Demuth portrait
LD
Lisa Demuth
REP
Biography
Lisa Demuth is speaker of the Minnesota House, a fourth-term state representative from Cold Spring, a former small-business owner and an eleven-year ROCORI school board member, and the Republican nominee for governor. She is the first Black major-party nominee for Minnesota governor.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Taxes and affordability, which her campaign names as her top priority
  • Eliminating fraud in state programs
  • Public safety
Campaign siteFull profile
Attorney General
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
Keith Ellison portrait
KE
Keith Ellison
INCUMBENT
Biography
Ellison is the incumbent Minnesota Attorney General running for re-election, per the campaign site. His office has worked on insulin cost reductions, consumer robocall protections and opioid settlement funds for the state, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Protect consumers, workers, and civil rights
  • Use the attorney general's office for public-safety and accountability cases
  • Defend reproductive rights and state legal authority
Campaign siteFull profile
Ron Schutz portrait
RS
Ron Schutz
REP
Biography
Ron Schutz is a trial lawyer who was a partner in a national litigation firm and served as its chairman from 2019 to 2024, per his campaign site, and the Republican nominee for Minnesota attorney general.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Fighting fraud
  • Consumer protection
  • Tackling crime and supporting law enforcement
Campaign siteFull profile
Secretary of State
4 candidates
Statewide ▾
SS
Steve Simon
INCUMBENT
Biography
Steve Simon is Minnesota's incumbent secretary of state, in office since 2015, and the DFL nominee for another term, unopposed in the August 11 primary. His office oversees elections, business filings, public records, voter information, and civic participation across Minnesota.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Defend democracy and strengthen the freedom to vote
  • Push back against election disinformation
  • Support small businesses and enhance protections for the most vulnerable
Campaign siteFull profile
Tad Jude portrait
TJ
Tad Jude
REP
Biography
Tad Jude is a former district court judge in the 10th Judicial District and a former member of the Minnesota House, Minnesota Senate and Hennepin County Board, and the Republican nominee for secretary of state.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Require photo identification to vote, per his campaign plan
  • Clean up the voter rolls and verify citizenship, per his campaign plan
  • Prevent fraud in public programs, per his campaign plan
Campaign siteFull profile
G"
George "Chip" Tangen
Biography
George "Chip" Tangen is a Libertarian candidate for Minnesota secretary of state who qualified for the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot by nominating petition. An attorney raised in Eden Prairie, he previously served as legislative counsel to U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad in Washington.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Nonpartisan administration of Minnesota elections
  • Ballot access for independent and minor-party candidates
  • Maximizing both voter participation and election security
Campaign siteFull profile
Seth Kuhl-Stennes portrait
SK
Seth Kuhl-Stennes
Biography
Kuhl-Stennes is a Baudette, Minnesota native who has spent 20 years working across cooperatives, for-profit businesses and nonprofits, including seven years in union roles with UFCW Local 663 and OPEIU Local 12, per the campaign site. He holds a political science degree from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Expand voting access and ballot access
  • Increase election transparency
  • Support civic participation and community accountability
Campaign siteFull profile
State Auditor
3 candidates
Statewide ▾
Zack Filipovich portrait
ZF
Zack Filipovich
Biography
Zack Filipovich is a certified management accountant and nonprofit finance manager and a former Duluth city councilor and council president, and the DFL nominee for state auditor, unopposed in the August 11 primary. The seat is open because Julie Blaha announced in September 2025 that she would not seek re-election. His campaign emphasizes local-government oversight, financial accountability, transparency, and support for communities managing public dollars.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Transparency and accountability
  • Strengthening our communities
  • Communicating and building trust
Campaign siteFull profile
Scott Jensen portrait
SJ
Scott Jensen
REP
Biography
Jensen is a candidate for Minnesota State Auditor and a family medicine physician with 40 years of practice in Carver County; he previously served in the Minnesota Senate and has served on a bank's board of directors as Audit Committee Chair and on his local school district board, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Stop fraud
  • Accountability and internal controls
  • Compliance and ongoing audits
Campaign siteFull profile
JR
Jay Reeves
Biography
Jay Reeves is a Forward Independence Party candidate for Minnesota state auditor and an Army veteran. His campaign emphasizes independent oversight, public accountability, and non-major-party representation in statewide fiscal review.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Offer independent oversight of public finances
  • Strengthen accountability and transparency
  • Bring military service experience to statewide office
Campaign siteFull profile

Countywide races in Yellow Medicine County

ZIP 56241 sits in Yellow Medicine County, per the Census crosswalk. These seats are voted countywide; district seats, city races and school boards need a street address. All Yellow Medicine County races (14).

Yellow Medicine County Sheriff
2 candidates
County ▾
MJ
Michael Jenson
Biography
Michael Jenson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Yellow Medicine County Sheriff, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Secretary of State's candidate filing is the only verifiable source for Michael Jenson.
Full profile
CN
Casey Namken
Biography
Casey Namken is an investigator with the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff's Office and also serves as the county's Emergency Management Director, per the county's official website and the West Central Tribune. He is running for county sheriff against Michael Jenson in the November 2026 election. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
2 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Yellow Medicine County Sheriff, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings.
Yellow Medicine County Attorney
1 candidate
County ▾
MG
Mark Gruenes
INCUMBENT
Biography
Mark Gruenes serves as Yellow Medicine County Attorney, appointed after a newly elected attorney resigned before taking office, per the West Central Tribune. He also serves as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, per the county's website. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Mark Gruenes is the only candidate on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Yellow Medicine County Attorney, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings (Minnesota prints unopposed county races).
Judge, Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court, Seat 2
1 candidate
County ▾
SL
Stephanie L. Beckman
Biography
Stephanie L. Beckman is a judge of the Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court. Appointed to the Meeker County District Court December 12, 2012, by Governor Mark Dayton and elected in 2014 and 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously Meeker County Attorney, 2006-2012, and served as Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge, 2021-2026, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Stephanie L. Beckman is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 8th Judicial District covers Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Judge, Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court, Seat 4
1 candidate
County ▾
ML
Melissa Listug
Biography
Melissa Listug is a judge of the Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court. Appointed to the Pope County District Court Nov. 7, 2018, by Governor Mark Dayton and elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously an attorney at Littler Mendelson, P.C. and at Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Melissa Listug is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 8th Judicial District covers Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Judge, Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court, Seat 7
1 candidate
County ▾
LJ
Laurence J. Stratton
Biography
Laurence J. Stratton is a judge of the Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court. Appointed Assistant Chief Judge of the Renville County District Court Jan. 28, 2019, and elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously an assistant Renville County attorney and associate attorney at Muske, Muske & Suhrhoff, Ltd., per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Laurence J. Stratton is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 8th Judicial District covers Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Judge, Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court, Seat 10
1 candidate
County ▾
BC
Benjamin Charles Pieh
INCUMBENT
Biography
Judge Benjamin Pieh was appointed to the Eighth Judicial District bench by Governor Tim Walz on November 19, 2024, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. He earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School and previously worked as an assistant public defender in the Eighth Judicial District. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Benjamin Charles Pieh is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 8th Judicial District covers Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Judge, Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court, Seat 11
1 candidate
County ▾
AT
Allison T. Whalen
Biography
Allison T. Whalen is a judge of the Minnesota 8th Judicial District Court. Appointed to the Swift County District Court February 26, 2024, by Governor Tim Walz, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously interim Stevens County Attorney and an assistant Stevens and Swift County attorney, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Allison T. Whalen is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 8th Judicial District covers Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Minnesota Senate District 15
2 candidates
County ▾
BJ
Braxton John Seifert
REP
Biography
Braxton John Seifert works as a loan officer at a family-owned bank and is a sixth-generation resident of Senate District 15, per campaign site. Braxton John Seifert also owns multiple business ventures and operates a farm, per campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Addresses concerns about families leaving the state for lower taxes and fees
  • Supports improving education quality
  • Supports lowering the cost of living and expanding economic opportunity
Campaign siteFull profile
AB
Andrea Boettger
DEM
Biography
Boettger is president of the New Ulm City Council and executive director of the New Ulm Turner Hall, per the campaign site. Her earlier career spanned hospitality, banking and finance, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Balance city budget needs with fiscal conservatism
Campaign siteFull profile
About this race
Braxton John Seifert (Republican), Andrea Boettger (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) are on the November 3 ballot for Minnesota Senate District 15. Not on the November ballot: Gary H. Dahms, the sitting member per the roster. Nominees were chosen at the August 11, 2026 primary (where contested) or qualified directly for the general ballot. The field is the Secretary of State's certified candidate table; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot. Every address in Yellow Medicine County is in this district, per the certified district list.
Minnesota House District 15A
2 candidates
County ▾
NS
Nathan Schmig
DEM
Biography
Nathan Schmig is a garbage truck driver of about fifteen years who grew up on a farm, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he graduated from Canby High School, has lived in Minneota for about 30 years, and is married with four children.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Agriculture and the rural economy
  • AI data centers
  • Education
Campaign siteFull profile
BL
Bradley L Hennen
REP
Biography
Hennen is a farmer from Ghent in Lyon County who was born and raised on a family farm, per the campaign site. He and his wife Barb raised nine children in the area and are now grandparents, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Lowering the cost of living for rural Minnesota families
  • Supporting agriculture and small business
  • Keeping rural communities strong for young people and families
Campaign siteFull profile
About this race
Nathan Schmig (Democratic-Farmer-Labor), Bradley L Hennen (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Minnesota House District 15A. Not on the November ballot: Chris Swedzinski, the sitting member per the roster. Nominees were chosen at the August 11, 2026 primary (where contested) or qualified directly for the general ballot. The field is the Secretary of State's certified candidate table; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot. Every address in Yellow Medicine County is in this district, per the certified district list.

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Ballot Info Lookup

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Ballot info questions for 56241
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Data sources

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Vote.gov Official federal voter registration and voting information gateway.State election offices Official directory for state election deadlines, ballot rules, and voter resources.Federal Election Commission Federal candidate filings and campaign finance data.Congress.gov members Official congressional member records and identifiers.