The deadline to turn in candidacy petitions for spring elections is fast approaching, with a January 3 filing date. All applications must be received by 5 p.m. that day to be valid.

Municipal, county and school board election will all be included on the April ballot. Candidates must have turned in valid candidacy petitions to have their name appear on the ballot.

Rules for declaring candidacy vary a bit, with the school boards perhaps making it easiest. Potential candidates need only contact the schools to receive a “Declaration of Candidacy” form and a “Campaign Registration Statement.” Those forms need to be returned to the school district clerk.

North Crawford School Board members Judy Powell, Miguel Morga and Tina Volden are all up for reelection. In Seneca schools, members-at-large Kris Stuckey and Brenda Ostrander are up for reelection.

“The schools are closed from Christmas to New Years,” reminded Donna Bell, the North Crawford district bookkeeper. “If someone needs to, they can call and leave a message during the break at the district office and someone will get back to them to make sure they get their papers.”

For North Crawford that number is 735-4318 and in Seneca, it’s 734-3411.

The villages of Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove require applicants to pick up nomination papers from the respective village clerk. The nomination papers require a minimum of 20 (and a maximum of 100) signatures from village residents, to be returned to the village clerk. Residents can sign nomination papers for more than one candidate.

In Gays Mills, trustees Albert Ziegel, Aaron Fortney and Earl Winsor are up for reelection. In Soldiers Grove, it’s trustees Shayne Chapman, Roy Davidson and Jim Helgerson.

In Gays Mills, questions can be directed to Village Clerk Dawn McCann at 735-4341 and in Soldiers Grove to clerk Tamara Kepler at 624-3264.

All 17 seats on the Crawford County Board are up for election. Nomination papers must be obtained from and returned to the Crawford County Clerk, Janet Geisler. As with the villages, a minimum of 20 signatures is required.

“There may be one contested seat, but until the third (Jan. 3), when all the papers are turned in, it’s impossible to know who is running for sure,” Geisler said.

Current Crawford County board members are James O’Meara, Henry Esser, Kersten Rocksvold, Marjory Sheckler, Duane Rogers, Mary Jane Faas, David Olson, Phil Mueller, Wade Dull, Peter Flesch, Elling Jones, Joseph Hartley, Greg Russell, Ray Martin, Gerald Krachey, John Karnopp and Larry Kapinus.

Questions about the county board elections can be directed to Crawford County Clerk Janet Geisler at 608-326-0200.