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Citizens across the upper Midwest can vote early ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, selecting their preferred candidates. Every election has consequences, and voters in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Montana help decide their representatives for 2027 and beyond.
In addition, Forum Communications Co. management, the FCC Editorial Advisory Board and local newspaper editorial boards will provide a variety of endorsements in the coming weeks for the 2026 general election.
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We endorse candidates and issues because we believe it is our newspapers’ responsibility, as active and informed community members, to express our informed ideas. Editorial endorsements are meant to start conversations, not end them.
With our vast networks of reporters and long company history helping our communities grow and prosper, it is in our business DNA. We believe strongly that when we present choices and opinions, voters can discuss, debate and make informed decisions.
We do not intend our editorial endorsements to be the final word. We encourage each voter to research and inform themselves. Each voter should then make their own decisions.
During this election season, readers and viewers across Forum Communications Co.’s newspapers, television stations and websites can read news and analysis of local and statewide races. Our readers can find all of our election news content on our "Election Central" website section.
As a public service, Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing a Minnesota Voter Guide and a North Dakota Voter Guide to help keep voters informed about candidates.
Seasoned editors and company owners form editorial endorsements using traditional news-gathering tools and resources to accumulate background on candidates and community issues. This may include reviewing data and documents, researching articles, and interviewing candidates or major referendum supporters.
Editorial boards may interview candidates and/or watch various debate events. Editorial boards may also review candidates’ Voter Guide responses describing their platforms and highlighting their accomplishments.
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Final decisions on national and statewide endorsements are reviewed and approved by Forum Communications Co. ownership.
Readers may respond to this commentary or any company and local editorial endorsements by email to fccadvisory@forumcomm.com. Such reader feedback letters will be considered for publication outside of the paid political letter policy.
Our endorsements are an outlet for our newspapers’ leadership and editorial boards, plus a collection of community and other opinion content. For more than a century, newspapers’ opinion and news sections have been separate entities. An editorial board controls the content of the opinion sections.
News reporters have no role on opinion pages.
Political candidates and elected officials receiving a local newspaper or Forum Communications Co. endorsement do not get a free pass. Candidates are watched during their election campaign and how elected officials govern, regardless of whether the candidate is endorsed or not.
Forum Communications Co. considers political letters advocating for or against a candidate, ballot measure, or political party as paid advertising. Political letter writers may submit their letter online at column.us. From there, you will need to sign up for an account so your contact information is available if an editor or Column.us needs to contact you.
For questions or assistance, political letter writers may email classifieds@column.us.
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The FCC Advisory Board will form a recommendation based on information from news reporting, candidate interviews and/or online voter guides. FCC ownership reviews and approves those recommendations; then individual FCC Advisory Board members write an editorial endorsement. These decisions are guided by our company’s mission statement:
We strive to provide information that truly matters to the people of our state and region. Our highest priority is public service — shining light on issues that deeply affect our communities and holding local and state governments and institutions accountable. We feel we have a responsibility to give readers diverse opinions that are broad and fair. In endorsements, we favor business-friendly candidates who stand for government that is not overly intrusive, with regulations that prudently balance costs and benefits. We also prefer candidates who work to solve problems while avoiding divisive posturing.
This commentary column was written by Kelly Boldan, the site leader and editor of the West Central Tribune of Willmar, Minnesota. He is a member of the FCC Editorial Advisory Board and the West Central Tribune Editorial Board.
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