Anoka County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Three candidates filed for this seat covering Lino Lakes, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Lexington, Linwood and eastern Blaine, and the August 11 nonpartisan primary narrows the field to the two who advance to the November 3 ballot.

• Melissa "Mel" Lawlis▾

  Fraud prevention worker for Anoka County Human Services, part of 27 years with the department, per her campaign site. She describes a campaign built on integrity, professionalism and civility.

  Priorities: Spending every taxpayer dollar wisely and responsibly, per her campaign site · Public safety as the foundation of a strong county, per her campaign site · Practical fixes for roads, bridges and transportation systems, per her campaign site

  Campaign site →
• Jeff ReinertIncumbent▾

  President of SentryDx, a Roseville biotechnology company working on cancer detection, with 40 years of business ownership behind him, per his campaign site. He is the sitting Anoka County commissioner for District 3, per Anoka County, and says on his site that he is seeking a fourth term.

  Priorities: Preserving quality of life and low crime in the district, per his campaign site · Letting cities and townships set their own voter registration methods, per his ABC Newspapers questionnaire answers · Keeping the county's non-sanctuary status on immigration enforcement, per his ABC Newspapers questionnaire answers

  Campaign site →
• Kevin Ryan▾

  No occupation is listed for Ryan in the Minnesota Secretary of State certified filing record, which places him on the Anoka County Board District 3 ballot. He did not respond to the ABC Newspapers voter guide questionnaire, and no campaign website or platform statement in his own words could be located.

Three candidates filed for this open Coon Rapids area seat being vacated by board chair Scott Schulte, and the August 11 nonpartisan primary reduces the field to the two who advance to the November 3 ballot.

• Jennifer (Jenny) Geisler▾

  

  Geisler is an internal auditor and IT consultant who has served 10 years on the Coon Rapids City Council, per her campaign site, which also lists nine years on the Planning Commission and two on the Economic Development Commission. ABC Newspapers lists her age as 64 and her occupation as service line specialist.

  Priorities: Collaboration to break through gridlock, per her campaign site · Using auditor expertise to detect fraud and protect taxpayer dollars, per her campaign site · Modernizing county services and infrastructure, per her campaign site

  Campaign site →
• Jerry Koch▾

  Coon Rapids mayor who did not seek reelection to that office, per the ABC Newspapers voter guide. He did not respond to the ABC Newspapers voter guide questionnaire, so no platform statement in his own words is available.

  Campaign site →
• Michael Nordstrom▾

  

  Nordstrom is a safety manager and consulting business owner, according to ABC Newspapers, which lists his age as 57. His campaign site says he has lived in Anoka County for more than 50 years and is running as a new voice for common sense leadership on the county board.

  Priorities: Controlling taxes and protecting taxpayer dollars, per his campaign site · Supporting law enforcement and expanding mental health crisis response, per ABC Newspapers · Ensuring county spending produces measurable results, per ABC Newspapers

  Campaign site →

This nonpartisan judicial seat covers the 10th Judicial District, which includes Anoka and Washington counties. This is the only contested judicial seat on any Minnesota ballot August 11, and it appears before Anoka County voters because Anoka is one of the eight counties in the 10th Judicial District, where the nonpartisan primary narrows three candidates to two for November 3.

• Mack Guptil▾

  

  Attorney with more than 20 years of litigation and general practice experience in the 10th Judicial District, per his campaign site. He campaigns on being fair, independent and committed to justice, telling voters on his site that he is calm, patient and ready to serve.

  Priorities: Fair and independent decision making on the bench, per his campaign site · A calm and patient courtroom demeanor, per his campaign site

  Campaign site →
• Ben Lacy▾

  

  Lacy is managing attorney at Tubman, which serves survivors of domestic violence in the metro area, per his campaign site. His campaign site says he previously worked as a Washington County prosecutor, clerked for Judge B. William Ekstrum, and is a past president of the Washington County Bar Association.

  Priorities: Maintaining humanity in the judicial system, per his campaign site · Giving every person clear reasoning for decisions regardless of outcome, per his campaign site

  Campaign site →
• Rebecca A. Waxse▾

  

  Waxse is a Stillwater based attorney who practices in Minnesota's 10th Judicial District, per her campaign site, which says she is not currently a sitting judge. Her campaign site emphasizes years of legal experience alongside community service across the district.

  Priorities: Fair and impartial application of the law, per her campaign site · Serving all eight counties in the district, per her campaign site

  Campaign site →

• Karen Fleming▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
• Scott Wendell▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• John Heinrich▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Ron Hanegraaf▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Brent Campbell▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
• Sam Scott▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Julie Braastad▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Karen Godfrey▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
• Rick Engelhardt▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Amáda Márquez Simula▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Erik Skogquist▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Jamie Barthel▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Jerry Koch▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Nancy Golden▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Todd Miller▾

  We haven’t hand-verified this candidate’s profile yet. Enter your ZIP above to see this race on your exact ballot, and cross-check candidates with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.