Most local races this spring are already decided, in part, because there are no candidates or no new candidates running for office.
Open School Board seats in both the Flandreau and Colman-Egan School District’s will either be filled by incumbents or by appointment or one petition that was turned in. Cynthia Sheppard will fill one of the seats.
It is the same situation with city council seats in Flandreau, Colman, and Egan.
Annette Mitchell turned in a petition for the only seat up for grabs in Ward, a 3-year-term. There will be an election in Ward though and what will be on the April 9th spring ballot is a measure on road improvements.
Trent and the county — if there are any races to be determined, will be listed on the June ballot, as Trent asked this spring to be combined with county elections.
The lack of local candidates is nothing new nor unique to Moody County. Getting anyone to run for local office is an issue that has plagued communities nationwide, especially in rural America, for years.
One bright spot, 18 to 25-year-olds are increasingly running for political office, according to a 2022 study from Tufts University. More than 20% of youth, the report states, are considering running for office. Many are dismayed by the current state of our democracy.
