Christopher D. Bates
Nonpartisan
Biography
Christopher D. Bates is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Judge, Minnesota 1st Judicial District Court, Seat 34, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Sibley County, Minnesota
Judge, Minnesota 1st Judicial District Court, Seat 34
Sibley County, Minnesota
Judge, Minnesota 1st Judicial District Court, Seat 34
One candidate is tracked for Judge, Minnesota 1st Judicial District Court, Seat 34, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Christopher D. Bates. Candidate information follows official Sibley County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
About this race
Christopher D. Bates is the only name on the ballot for this seat; Minnesota prints unopposed candidates rather than deeming them elected, so the race is on the November 3, 2026 ballot but is not contested. Minnesota's 1st Judicial District covers Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
What this office does
Trial court judge. A trial judge presides over criminal and civil cases at the first level: bail and pleas, motions, trials, sentencing and civil judgments. Judges are bound by state law and appellate precedent and are barred by judicial conduct rules from campaigning on how they would rule. Most states elect trial judges on a nonpartisan ballot; the term and the courts a judge may sit on vary by state.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. One name is on the ballot for this seat.