In 2025, local voters will be selecting a mayor in the November general election. This year's winner will serve a one-time, three-year term.
A special election will be held on Aug. 12 for the Ward 4 seat vacated by the resignation of Mitra Jalali in February.
On Feb. 11, there was a special election for the District 4 Ramsey County Commissioner following the resignation of Trista Martinson, who took a job with the county. On the ballot were Joshua David Bau and Garrison McMurtrey. Voters elected McMurtrey, the county's first Black male commissioner.
On Nov. 5, 2024, St. Paul voters approved a shift in city elections (mayor and city council) from odd to even years. On Dec. 3, the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) Board of Education voted 6-1 to move their elections to even years in line with city elections. This means there will not be a school board election in 2025 and that current board members’ terms will be extended by one year. The next school board race will occur in November 2026.
Running in 2025 for the one-time, three-year mayoral term are:
• Melvin Carter (incumbent)
• Yan Chen
Following the resignation of council president and Ward 4 council member Mitra Jalali, the seat is open. An interim city council member (Matt Privratsky) was appointed by the mayor in April until the special election on Aug. 12. The following are vying for the position:
• Cristin Incitti (dropped out April 30)
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Just what is happening this election season? What do these elected officials even do? What are their job descriptions? Get informed at their site: www.lwvsp.org
Get information on the city of St. Paul election at the Ramsey County voting site. Find election maps, polling locations, information on how to register to vote, details on ranked choice voting, how to file for office, and more. Go to: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/city-clerk/elections
View sample ballots and get election results on the Minnesota Secretary of State web site. You can also sign up to be an election judge, learn about other ways to vote, and register to vote here. Information is available in multiple language, including Somali, Hmong, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Lao, Oromo, Khamer and Amharic. More here: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/
How do our elections work and why are they are fair and accurate? Skim this resource or dig into specific aspects/issues for a deeper dive. Go to Elections 411
Date |
Deadline or event |
---|---|
May 6 | Notice of Filing posted. |
May 20 | Filing period for August Local Primary & Ward 4 Special begins. |
June 3 | Filing period for August Local Primary and Ward 4 Special closes. |
June 5 | Withdrawal period for August Local Primary and Ward 4 Special closes. |
June 27 | Forty-six-day absentee period begins. |
July 29 | Notice of Election posted |
Aug. 5 | Notice to Voters posted. |
Aug. 12 | Local Primary & Ward 4 Special Election |
Did you know? Local government bodies make decisions on a lot of things we may encounter each day. There are local government offices at the county level, city level and school board. Voters will vote on representatives for their district, city or ward based on where they live. Here are a few of the decisions local government bodies make that affect all Minnesotans:
Serve the community and promote the democratic process.
Election judges staff local polling places for the primary and general election as well as during early voting. You can earn money, meet your neighbors and help ensure that elections are administered in a fair manner. Judges must be 18 years old or older. There are positions for student election judges who are 16 andd 17 years old.
Ranked voting allows voters to rank multiple candidates for the same office in order of preference.
Winning the election: A candidate wins the election by getting an absolute majority of first-choice votes – 50% plus one. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes on Election Day, a reallocation to determine a winner is anticipated to begin on Friday, November 5.
Reminder about school board: The Saint Paul School Board race, located on the other side of the ballot, does not use the ranked voting method. School board members will be elected using the traditional voting method.
Instructions: Pick your first choice by completely filling in the box next to that candidate’s name. If you have a second choice, fill in the box next to that candidate. Continue this process to pick your remaining choices, if you have any. Note: marking a candidate means that you would like them to receive your vote; there is a chance that any candidate you mark will have that vote counted toward their total. To learn more about the legal process for counting votes in the ranked voting method, visit the Ramsey County election results page for information on ranked voting reallocation.