It’s not entirely clear what will appear on the municipal election ballot April 4, but we should know more in a few weeks. Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey announced two key dates coming up later this month.

“Tuesday, January 17 is the last day for candidates to file with their entity,” Baack-Garvey said. “By that I mean if there happens to be school board members in a rural district, they would file within that school district as a candidate, and they have to be filed by the 17th of January.”

Mary Robertson with the City of St. Joseph says they will not have any questions on the ballot. City Council seats are not up for grabs until next year. There has been no formal word of a ballot question from the St. Joseph School District. They have a deadline coming up as well.

“The next date that pertains to the April election is January 24th, the very following week,” Baack-Garvey said. “That is final certification day, the final day that all of these entities can bring all of their election questions, candidates, etc., here to our office. They have until five o’clock on the 24th.”

Baack-Garvey is confident her team will be counting votes on April 4.

“It doesn’t have to be St. Joe School District, it could be out in Easton Fire, it could be out in Dearborn School, it depends on what the entity’s election is, but there is always an April election.”