If you’re an eligible voter who lives in Minneapolis, and you haven’t yet cast your ballot in the city election, Tuesday is your chance! City polls open at 7 a.m. and close tonight at 8 p.m.
Below, Sahan Journal compiled a brief guide on what to expect on Election Day 2021 and how to prepare for it.
Find your ward.
The Minneapolis City Council comprises 13 members who represent different wards in the city. You can find out which of the 13 wards you live in by searching for your address here.
Find your nearest polling location.
Your polling location depends on where you live, so you might be voting at a different place than friends and family. Before heading out to vote, make sure you look up your address here to know where to go.
Read up on the issues that matter most to you and other Minneapolitans in today’s election.
- Confused by all the legal squabbles around the Minneapolis public safety amendment? We’ve got you covered! Your vote will count—and here’s a breakdown of what you’re voting on.
- Rent control is on the ballot this fall in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Sahan Journal asked supporters and opponents whether the measures will help produce affordable housing.
- Should the mayor of Minneapolis have more power? Here is everything you need to know about the government structure amendment on the ballot this fall.
Prepare to vote for mayor.
- Candidate AJ Awed told us he plans to create a public safety citizens’ assembly and tax upscale renters like himself.
- We interviewed Mayor Jacob Frey on what he’s done to change the Minneapolis Police Department.
- Last week, Kate Knuth unveiled a detailed immigration policy plan.
- Sheila Nezhad supports participatory budgeting and a Black-led reparations commission.
You can read about each candidate in more detail at the links above. Because Minneapolis uses ranked choice voting, you can rank your first, second, and third choices. More about that in a second.
Learn more about the Minneapolis City Council Candidates.
To help voters make informed choices in advance of Minneapolis’ election season, Sahan Journal worked with Pollen Midwest and Pillsbury United Communities to ask people in Minneapolis what they wanted to know about the candidates on their 2021 ballots.
The result? A voter guide—made by the community, for the community—that can help you become fully informed on this year’s candidates for City Council.
Know your rights.
- Take time off from work to vote
- Vote if you’re in line by 8 p.m.
- Register on Election Day
- Ask for help from an interpreter
- Bring your children to the polls
- Vote after completing a felony sentence, including completing probation or parole
Rank your candidates.
Minneapolis city elections use ranked choice voting, which means you can rank multiple candidates for one office, in order of preference. For each office, this means you can rank up to three candidates: first choice, second choice, and third choice.
Some offices on the ballot have multiple open seats; that means more than one of your ranked candidates can end up winning. For the Board of Estimate and Taxation, two of the three candidates on the ballot will be elected to two open seats. For the at-large seats in the city’s Park and Recreation Commissioner race, three of the seven candidates listed will win a seat.
Wait, I’m not registered to vote at my current address!
That’s okay! In Minnesota, you can register at the polls. You’ll need to bring proof of residence—and there are lots of ways to prove your residence. You can check the full list here.
I have an absentee ballot at home that I forgot to mail in.
It’s too late to mail it in now. Minneapolis residents can bring absentee ballots to the early voting center, 980 E Hennepin Ave, before 3 p.m. Or just vote in person at your polling place. But don’t bring your completed absentee ballot to your polling place.
Hey! I live in St. Paul! What about me?
- Read up on St. Paul’s rent stabilization ballot measure.
- We made you this school board candidate voter guide!
I already voted.
Great job! However, the city advises you to check to make sure your ballot has been accepted. You can track your ballot here. If it hasn’t been accepted, head to your polling place.
