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: Ranked-choice voting will decide the two highest-profile contests in the Twin Cities today.

• 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 can 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.

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 mayor said.

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.

• "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 votes 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 tomorrow.

• Ramsey County officials expect to declare a winner late Tuesday night thanks to new ranked-choice tabulation software.

🌆 In Minneapolis, the outcome of a handful of contested Council races will decide whether a left-wing coalition retains its veto-proof majority.

• Case in point: The stakes have fueled high spending in several races, including the Ward 7 battle between incumbent Katie Cashman and Park Board Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer.

☑️ 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 in the chamber.

👀 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 asking voters to hike taxes to generate more funding.

• 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

🥤 "Dirty soda" chain Sota Shop is joining the downtown Minneapolis skyways, with plans for a new location in the 510 Marquette building next year. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

⚽️ Minnesota United lost to the Sounders 4-2, forcing a decisive Game 3 on Saturday in St. Paul. (Star Tribune)

🛒 The Trump administration says it will partially fund SNAP benefits after two federal judges ruled that the funds must be released. (Axios)

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Minnesotan Joel Reichow was the top U.S. men's finisher in Sunday's New York City Marathon, placing sixth overall with a time of 2:09:56. (Star Tribune)

• 💨 That's an average pace of 4:58 per mile.

💼 Moss & Barnett, one of Minneapolis' oldest law firms, will merge with global firm Cozen O'Connor next year. (Minnesota Lawyer)

🗳️ House Speaker Lisa Demuth confirmed yesterday that Republican Majority Leader Harry Niska will take the lead on the House GOP Caucus' campaign efforts as she mounts a gubernatorial bid. (Background via Axios)

Millennials now make up a bigger share of Minnesota Botox patients than their older Gen X counterparts, according to data shared with Axios.

The big picture: The Botox gap between the two generations is shrinking nationwide, as appointments for the face-firming treatments become about as mainstream as visits to the hair salon.

Between the lines: The percentage of Botox patients who are Millennials in Minnesota — 45% — is considerably higher than the national average of 35%, data from medical aesthetics and medtech data provider Qsight shows.

What we're hearing: Younger patients are increasingly seeking "preventive" treatments, Rebecca Small, a physician who specializes in advanced aesthetic services, told Axios.

• Lip fillers and Botox shots into jaw muscles, intended to offer a slimming effect, are on the rise.

Go deeper

Minneapolis civic leaders tried to pelt one of their peers with pre-made snowballs as a kickoff to "Winterapolis" yesterday.

Why it matters: Winterapolis is a new marketing campaign to draw more attention to cold-weather festivities in Minneapolis between late November and March — especially now that Holidazzle is gone.

Between the lines: There aren't a lot of new attractions or events this year, except for a curling plaza that will be installed on Nicollet Mall for the Winter Olympics.

• Exact time and location are to be determined, Minneapolis Downtown Council CEO Adam Duininck told Axios.

The big picture: The Winterapolis campaign hopes to make the case that there's still going to be plenty to do this winter.

• The list includes Dayton's Holiday Market (Nov. 13-Dec. 27), the Downtown Polar Bear Pub Crawl (Dec. 20), The Great Northern (Jan. 28-Feb. 1) and the Luminary Loppet (Feb. 7).

Editor's note: This story has been updated to say Dayton's Holiday Market runs through Dec. 27 (not Dec. 7).