Are you passionate about conservation? Are you engaged in your community and want to become more of a leader in your community? Minnesota’s natural resources play an important role in the state’s economy and quality of life. Protecting and managing these precious natural resources is a large undertaking and takes continuous effort at the state and local level.

Minnesota’s 88 Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) are each governed by a board of five Supervisors who are elected by citizens in their respective counties. Each SWCD board is responsible for policy development, annual plans, budgets and more. Supervisor positions are four-year terms and require between 1 to 3 monthly meetings and may receive up to $125/day in compensation for services.

2024 is an election year! There are 440 SWCD Supervisors in Minnesota and a portion of them will be up for election this November. If you are interested in running as a SWCD Supervisor, please keep reading.

Follow these easy steps to run as a SWCD Supervisor in your district:
1. First, contact your county’s SWCD or visit their website to find out if there are seats up for election: SWCD Directory.
2. Next, file an ‘affidavit of candidacy’ along with a $20 filing fee with your county elections official (usually, the county auditor) between May 21 and by 5 pm on June 4. Make sure to file with the county auditor of the county in which the SWCD is located. To find your SWCD county election office, visit the County Election Office page of the Minnesota Secretary of State’s web site.
3. SWCD candidate general elections will take place Nov. 5.

Did You Know?
• SWCD Supervisors are elected to 4-year terms, commencing on the first Monday in January.
• SWCD Supervisors receive compensation for services up to $125 per day, depending on what rate is approved by the local SWCD. In addition, SWCD Supervisors may be reimbursed for expenses, including traveling expenses, necessarily incurred in the discharge of duties.
• A person elected to a public office must be permitted time off from regular employment to attend meetings required by the public office. The time off may be without pay, with pay, or made up with other hours, as agreed between the employee and employer.
• Qualifications include being an eligible voter and being 21 years old by January 2025 in addition to living in their district for at least 30 days before November 5, 2024.
• SWCD candidates do not participate in primary elections and are elected at the general election which will take place Nov. 5.

If you have questions or want to learn more, please contact LeAnn Buck, MASWCD Executive Director at LeAnn.Buck@maswcd.org.

Source: MASWCD