Ranked Choice Voting In Minneapolis: How Ballots Are Counted

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis residents will head to the polls next Tuesday — Nov. 2. — to cast their votes for several city offices and ballot questions.

Before Election Day head out, it's worth taking a look at how Minneapolis' ranked choice voting system works. While different than the traditional method use in most elections in the United States, Ranked Choice Voting is gaining popularity for local elections across the country.

The ranked choice voting system, which the city adopted in 2009, allows voters to rank candidates in order of their preference. Voters can rank up to three different candidates for each office.

Here's how the city' lays out to steps to fill out a ranked choice voting ballot:

Step 1: Choose your top candidate. This is your first choice candidate and will be the vote that is considered first.

Step 2: If you have a second choice (not required), you may select another candidate. This must be different from your first choice candidate.

Step 3: If you have a third choice (not required), you may choose another selection. This must be different from your first and second choices.

How ranked-choice votes are counted

To win in a ranked choice system, a candidate must have at least 50 percent of the votes. If that doesn't happen after the first round of tallying — when only the first choices on each ballot are counted — there must be a second round, and second choices are tallied up.

However, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated before a new round of counting begins. And the votes of people whose first choice is eliminated are transferred to their second choice.

If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote in the second round, a third round of tallying will take place. In the third and final round, all third choices are tallied.

The city of Minneapolis created a video explaining the counting:

Here are all of the offices that are up for reelection in Minneapolis in 2021:

• Mayor
• City Council (1-13)
• Board of Estimate and Taxation (two at-large seats)
• Minneapolis Park Board
  • District seats (six seats)
  • At-Large (three seats)

Read more: 2021 Nov. 2 Election: What's On My Ballot In Minneapolis