FILE – In this July 29, 2020, file photo, Lisa Finander, right, checks that each ballot has the voter’s name on the ballot and mailing envelope and Laurie Mattila, left, checked that it was correct at Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services in Minneapolis. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 that Minnesota absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day should be separated from other ballots in case they are later invalidated by a court.(Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP)
St. Paul and Minneapolis residents will vote at their polling place in municipal elections on Nov. 2 to elect mayors, city council and school board members, and answer a rent control-related city question.
Instead of selecting just one candidate, voters in St. Paul and Minneapolis will be allowed to rank their three favorite candidates in order on the ballot, as both cities are using the ranked-choice voting system in 2021.
St. Paul
St. Paul residents will vote to elect a mayor and four school board seats. Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter III, who was first elected in 2017, faces seven other candidates in the run for the mayor’s office.
In its only city question on the ballot, St. Paul is asking residents to answer if the city should adopt the proposed rent stabilization law, which would limit rent increases to 3% per year.
St. Paul residents can find out more information regarding candidates and ballot information at the Ramsey County voting website.
Minneapolis
Voters in Minneapolis will cast their ballot to choose a mayor, city council members in all thirteen wards, Board of Estimate and Taxation representatives, and Park and Recreation commissioners in both at-large and district seats.
Minneapolis residents will respond to three questions on the 2021 ballot, all of which would induce changes to the city charter.
– City question one asks voters about whether or not to transfer more powers to the mayor, increasing his authority within the Minneapolis government.
– City question two suggests the replacement of the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety, and contains an explanatory note describing the new department characteristics.
– City question three proposes a new amendment that would authorize the City Council to regulate rent on private residential property.
Students can register to vote before Nov. 2 through this link, or on Election Day by presenting an approved photo ID and proof of residence.
Luana Karl can be reached at karl2414@stthomas.edu