No-party nominations for Floyd County offices open Monday

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A chance to run for elected office in Floyd County will open on Monday when “no party” or non-political-party organization candidates can begin filing nomination papers. This nomination period runs through Aug. 28.

County elected offices open this year are:

• Supervisor District 1.
• Supervisor District 3 (to fill a vacancy).
• County auditor.
• County sheriff.
• County attorney (to fill a vacancy).

Also to be decided in the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election will be township clerks and trustees, Floyd County Medical Center hospital trustees, soil and water conservation district commissioners, and Agricultural Extension Council.

All the terms are for four years, except for the offices to fill vacancies.

There are still a couple of the major open county offices with no candidates for the general election.

In June a political party primary election was held to choose Republican and Democratic candidates for the five county offices that are up for election this year.

Four candidates were chosen in the primary: Boyd Campbell for the Republican nomination for Supervisor District 3, Morrigan Miller for the Republican nomination for county auditor, Liz Hamm for the Democratic nomination for county auditor, and Todd Prichard for the Democratic nomination for county attorney.

That leaves Supervisor District 1 and county sheriff with no candidates, although current Sheriff Jeff Crooks has said he will definitely file for reelection as a no party candidate, as he has on his previous elections to the office.

Anyone who meets the nomination qualifications and turns in the proper nomination paperwork can run for any of the open offices, whether there are already candidates for that office or not.

The current supervisor in District 1, Mark Kuhn, has said he is not seeking reelection. District 1 includes most of the southern part of the county and all of Charles City south of the Cedar River.

The current supervisor in District 3, Jim Jorgensen, has also said he is not seeking to remain in office. District 3 includes all of the northern tier of county townships and Rockford Township.

Jorgensen was appointed to the position after the 2022 election when the winner for that district declined to take the office.

County Auditor Gloria Carr, who is also commissioner of elections, said because the District 3 election is to fill that vacancy, the person who is elected will take office as soon as the election results are canvassed, probably a week or so after the election, rather than waiting until the first of the year. The winner will serve two years, until what would have been the usual end of that term in 2026.

Likewise, the election for county attorney is to fill a vacancy, because the current county attorney, Todd Prichard, was appointed to the position after the previous county attorney resigned to take office in another county. Prichard is running for election.

The winner of the county attorney election will also be sworn in after the election is certified, Carr said, rather than waiting until the first of the year, and will serve until the end of the regular term, at the end of 2026.

Nomination papers for any of the available offices are available at the County Auditor’s Office, or online at the office of Secretary of State, sos.iowa.gov/elections.

To run for one of the supervisor positions, candidates must live in the district they are seeking to represent, and collect signatures from eligible electors who live in that district.

The minimum number of valid signatures required to be placed on the ballot are:

• District supervisor – 21.
• County auditor, county sheriff or county attorney – 75
• Hospital trustee – 50.
• Soil and Water Conservation District Commission or Agricultural Extension Council – 25.
• Township trustee or clerk – no signatures required.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old at the time of election, residents of Iowa at the time of election and registered voters in the county when sworn in.

Nomination papers must be returned to the County Auditor’s Office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

For more information contact the County Auditor’s Office.