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On November 3, 2009, voters in Minneapolis will be able to rank their choices for Mayor, City Council, Board of Estimate and Taxation, and Park and Recreation Board when they go to the polls on Election Day. 

This fall will be the first time that Minneapolis voters will be using this new voting method. Minneapolis is making the change because voters approved using Ranked Choice Voting for municipal elections by referendum in 2006.

This new voting process will combine the Primary and General Elections into a single election, so there is no primary this year.  All the candidates that filed for the election will appear on the November ballot.

How to Vote
Much like the current method, voters will vote by filling in an oval on a paper ballot. Instead of just marking one candidate on the ballot, voters will be able to rank up to three candidates for the same office. However, voters are not required to rank more than one candidate.  Voters will mark their first choice by filling in the oval next to the candidate’s name in the column that says first choice, then a different candidate for their second choice, and a different candidate for their third choice.

It is important to remember that you vote the same way whether you are voting for a single seat race like Mayor or a multi-seat race like, Parks and Recreation Board at-large.

How votes are counted
The counting process begins by sorting and counting the first choice votes for all candidates. If no candidate receives the required number of votes to win, a process of eliminating candidates and considering subsequent ranked choices begins.  Under Ranked Choice Voting, a voter’s second and third choice cannot harm a voter’s first choice because election officials will not count a voter’s second or third choice unless the voter’s first choice has already been eliminated.

For additional information visit  www.voteminneapolis.org or ask a question about Ranked Choice Voting by calling 311.