Dakota County Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2025 - No breaks in ballot work

County supports local school district elections

Dakota County Elections staff don’t take a break from ballots in between high-profile, even-year elections.

Our work continues in odd years, such as 2025, when we support school districts in Dakota County to ensure smooth, secure local elections.

While school district elections may get less attention than other elections, many Dakota County voters still have an opportunity to cast a ballot this fall. Five school districts in the county have races or levies on the Nov. 4 ballot. Those districts combined include about two-thirds of the county’s registered voters.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan has a general election for three school board seats and a special election for one school board seat and a levy. Farmington and Cannon Falls have special levy elections. Lakeville has a special school board election and a levy. Hastings has a special school board election.

Absentee voting for all school district elections will begin Sept. 19.

While school districts oversee their local elections, the county is an important partner. All absentee ballots cast by Dakota County voters in the school elections will be counted by the county’s absentee ballot board. We also administer absentee ballots for cities and townships when they have elections.

The county also helps school districts with election preparation. That includes programming ballotcounting machines. We test that equipment, which the public can observe. We test and maintain the county’s centralized counting machines, which are used for absentee ballots. We also ensure audio-visual ballots are ready for accessible voting.

Beyond equipment, county staff also train all school district clerks and their judges, so they know the correct process on Election Day.

Voters can be confident that this partnership helps our school districts deliver accurate, reliable elections.

To learn more

Voters can call their school district to learn about their local elections.

For voter registration and polling place information, visit mnvotes.org.

For questions about Dakota County Elections, visit www.dakotacounty.us, search elections