How ranked-choice voting could tip Minneapolis and St. Paul mayor races
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From left, DeWayne Davis, Omar Fateh, Jacob Frey and Jazz Hampton at a Minneapolis mayoral debate in September. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
The next mayor of Minneapolis or St. Paul may not need to be voters' first choice — but they will need enough voters to rank them second or third.
The big picture: Tuesday is Election Day across the Twin Cities, and ranked-choice voting will decide the two highest-profile contests.
- Contenders in Minneapolis' 15-candidate mayoral field spent the campaign's final days vying for a place anywhere on voters' ballots: in a ranked-choice election, second- and third-choice votes matter.
State of play: Mayor Jacob Frey's critics have banked on an "anyone but Frey" strategy, asking voters to rank, in any order, their so-called "Slate For Change": Omar Fateh, DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton.
- "These are the three best options right now," Fateh said during a debate on WCCO last week.
The other side: Frey expressed confusion at the strategy, contending the slate would only benefit Fateh: "He's by far the leading challenger … Minneapolis voters are smarter than that."
The intrigue: Frey's leading opponents have appeared at joint door-knocking outings and meet-and-greets — but they also said the "Slate For Change" wasn't their strategy; it was organizers'.
- "I have never said and will never say 'Don't Rank Frey,'" Hampton said during the same debate. (The conventional wisdom is that a significant number of Hampton's first-choice voters may make Frey their second or third choice.)
- "I'm running for myself," Davis said, and not to "prop up" any other candidate.
What we're watching: Whether second-choice ballots tip St. Paul's five-candidate mayoral election.
- State Rep. Kaohly Her's late entry into the race gave incumbent Melvin Carter a high-profile challenger — but biophysicist Yan Chen has raised just as much money as Her.
😴 Bedtime alert: If no candidate in Minneapolis' mayoral or City Council races wins outright on first-choice votes, city officials plan to count second- and third-choice votes on Wednesday.
- Ramsey County officials expect to declare a winner late Tuesday night thanks to new ranked-choice tabulation software.
Also voting: Twelve suburban cities are holding municipal elections — including Bloomington, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park, which also use ranked-choice voting.
- Woodbury-area voters and several northwest exurbs are filling vacant state Senate seats that will determine whether Democrats retain their one-seat majority.
- A high-stakes election in Anoka-Hennepin schools — the state's largest district — headlines a list of two dozen school board races in the metro.
📚 Plus: St. Paul Public Schools is one of 15 metro-area districts seeking taxpayer revenue to fund or build schools.
- Statewide, more districts than usual are seeking approval for a general operating levy, which can be used to cover day-to-day expenses.
How to vote
🙋♀️ Who's eligible: U.S. citizens who have lived in Minnesota at least 20 days and will be 18 by Election Day.
- Minnesotans can register online or in-person, including when they arrive to vote.
📍 Where to vote: What's on a voter's ballot — and their Election Day polling place — is based on where they live.
- Make sure your registration is up to date and reflects your current address.
🎓 College students can use their campus address to vote as long as they consider Minnesota their home, even if they pay out-of-state tuition.
- Those who consider their family's dwelling their home can register and vote by mail there instead.
✉️ Mail-in voting: Anyone who hasn't yet returned their absentee ballot should return it to an elections office or drop box — or simply go cast a new ballot in person.
- Mail-in ballots not received by 5pm on Election Day will not count.