The 2023 Minneapolis City Council election took place in the city of
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
United States on November 7, 2023. The
Minneapolis City Council is made up of 13 members serving four-year terms, with one council member representing each of the city's 13 wards. The 2023 election was the first election since the city's form of government moved to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure.[2] The change was prompted after voters narrowly approved a ballot measure in 2021 to shift certain powers from the city council to the mayor.[3] Topics surrounding public safety, affordable housing, rent control, and racial justice were at the forefront of the campaign.
All incumbents were re-elected. The closest race was in ward 8, where incumbent council president
Andrea Jenkins defeated her challenger Soren Stevenson by just 38 votes. Despite this narrow victory, a coalition of
progressive members managed to secure a majority with seven of the thirteen seats. This coalition, powered by a combination of local
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) support and the allied PAC Mpls for the Many,[4] achieved success despite being financially outpaced by groups like All for Mpls[5] who supported mayor
Jacob Frey. Despite their majority, progressives are two votes short of overriding a veto by Frey.[6] Discussions on
rent control remain stalled, police reform is under scrutiny amidst a state
consent decree, and
homelessness remains a pressing concern.[7]
In 2021, Minneapolis voters expressed their desire for rent control measures, yet as of 2023, the city council has yet to finalize a policy.[10] The issue hit a standstill when an advance rent control measure failed, largely due to the absence of council members during
Eid al-Adha.[11] Mayor Frey was opposed to the proposed bill, which aimed to cap rent increases at 3%.[12]
Homelessness
Homelessness and
homelessness encampments remain a concern in Minneapolis.[13] Advocacy groups are calling for more humane policies and interventions.[14] Activists are urging the city council to prioritize the provision of shelters, stop encampment evictions, and increase funding for homelessness resources.[15]
DFL endorsement conventions
The
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) endorsement conventions in several Minneapolis wards were marred by allegations of irregularities and chaos.[16] The convention for Ward 5 was canceled due to allegations of fraudulent delegates, while the convention for Ward 10 descended into a melee when supporters of candidate Nasri Warsame disrupted the event.[17] In Ward 6, candidate Kayseh Magan challenged 126 delegates supporting Tiger Worku, alleging incorrect addresses, misspelled names, and unverified signatures. Magan claimed that many of Worku's delegates did not consent to be delegates or signed up with
ProtonMail email addresses. The State DFL Executive Committee met and adopted new bylaws granting the party more authority to ban individuals involved in violence and disruptive acts, and subsequently used these new rules to ban Nasri Warsame from seeking DFL endorsement. These actions were subsequently ratified by the larger State Central Committee to take full effect.[18][19] DFL endorsements hold significant value in the heavily Democratic city of Minneapolis.
Electoral system
The 13 members of the City Council are elected from
single-member districts via
instant-runoff voting, commonly known as ranked choice voting. Voters have the option of ranking up to three candidates in order of preference. Municipal elections in
Minnesota are officially nonpartisan, although candidates are able to identify with a political party on the ballot.
Write-in candidates must file a request with the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division for votes for them to be counted.
The 1st ward is based in northeast Minneapolis, stretching from the neighborhoods of
Waite Park and
Columbia Park down to
Como.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Elliott Payne, who was elected with 52.5% of the vote in 2021. Payne ran for re-election.
The 3rd ward contains the neighborhoods of
Marcy-Holmes and
St. Anthony West as well as
Nicollet Island.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Michael Rainville, who was elected with 55.0% of the vote in 2021. Rainville ran for re-election.
The 4th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Jordan and
Victory.[20] The incumbent is Democrat LaTrisha Vetaw, who was elected with 60.6% of the vote in 2021. Vetaw ran for re-election.
The 8th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Kingfield,
Lyndale,
Northrop, and
Regina.[20] The incumbent is Democrat
Andrea Jenkins, the current council president, who was re-elected with 84.9% of the vote in 2021. Jenkins ran for re-election.
The 11th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Diamond Lake,
Hale,
Page,
Northrop,
Tangletown,
Wenonah, and
Windom, as well as a portion of
Keewaydin.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Emily Koski, who was elected with 58.3% of the vote in 2021. Koski ran for re-election.
The 2023 Minneapolis City Council election took place in the city of
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
United States on November 7, 2023. The
Minneapolis City Council is made up of 13 members serving four-year terms, with one council member representing each of the city's 13 wards. The 2023 election was the first election since the city's form of government moved to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure.[2] The change was prompted after voters narrowly approved a ballot measure in 2021 to shift certain powers from the city council to the mayor.[3] Topics surrounding public safety, affordable housing, rent control, and racial justice were at the forefront of the campaign.
All incumbents were re-elected. The closest race was in ward 8, where incumbent council president
Andrea Jenkins defeated her challenger Soren Stevenson by just 38 votes. Despite this narrow victory, a coalition of
progressive members managed to secure a majority with seven of the thirteen seats. This coalition, powered by a combination of local
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) support and the allied PAC Mpls for the Many,[4] achieved success despite being financially outpaced by groups like All for Mpls[5] who supported mayor
Jacob Frey. Despite their majority, progressives are two votes short of overriding a veto by Frey.[6] Discussions on
rent control remain stalled, police reform is under scrutiny amidst a state
consent decree, and
homelessness remains a pressing concern.[7]
In 2021, Minneapolis voters expressed their desire for rent control measures, yet as of 2023, the city council has yet to finalize a policy.[10] The issue hit a standstill when an advance rent control measure failed, largely due to the absence of council members during
Eid al-Adha.[11] Mayor Frey was opposed to the proposed bill, which aimed to cap rent increases at 3%.[12]
Homelessness
Homelessness and
homelessness encampments remain a concern in Minneapolis.[13] Advocacy groups are calling for more humane policies and interventions.[14] Activists are urging the city council to prioritize the provision of shelters, stop encampment evictions, and increase funding for homelessness resources.[15]
DFL endorsement conventions
The
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) endorsement conventions in several Minneapolis wards were marred by allegations of irregularities and chaos.[16] The convention for Ward 5 was canceled due to allegations of fraudulent delegates, while the convention for Ward 10 descended into a melee when supporters of candidate Nasri Warsame disrupted the event.[17] In Ward 6, candidate Kayseh Magan challenged 126 delegates supporting Tiger Worku, alleging incorrect addresses, misspelled names, and unverified signatures. Magan claimed that many of Worku's delegates did not consent to be delegates or signed up with
ProtonMail email addresses. The State DFL Executive Committee met and adopted new bylaws granting the party more authority to ban individuals involved in violence and disruptive acts, and subsequently used these new rules to ban Nasri Warsame from seeking DFL endorsement. These actions were subsequently ratified by the larger State Central Committee to take full effect.[18][19] DFL endorsements hold significant value in the heavily Democratic city of Minneapolis.
Electoral system
The 13 members of the City Council are elected from
single-member districts via
instant-runoff voting, commonly known as ranked choice voting. Voters have the option of ranking up to three candidates in order of preference. Municipal elections in
Minnesota are officially nonpartisan, although candidates are able to identify with a political party on the ballot.
Write-in candidates must file a request with the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division for votes for them to be counted.
The 1st ward is based in northeast Minneapolis, stretching from the neighborhoods of
Waite Park and
Columbia Park down to
Como.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Elliott Payne, who was elected with 52.5% of the vote in 2021. Payne ran for re-election.
The 3rd ward contains the neighborhoods of
Marcy-Holmes and
St. Anthony West as well as
Nicollet Island.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Michael Rainville, who was elected with 55.0% of the vote in 2021. Rainville ran for re-election.
The 4th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Jordan and
Victory.[20] The incumbent is Democrat LaTrisha Vetaw, who was elected with 60.6% of the vote in 2021. Vetaw ran for re-election.
The 8th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Kingfield,
Lyndale,
Northrop, and
Regina.[20] The incumbent is Democrat
Andrea Jenkins, the current council president, who was re-elected with 84.9% of the vote in 2021. Jenkins ran for re-election.
The 11th ward contains the neighborhoods of
Diamond Lake,
Hale,
Page,
Northrop,
Tangletown,
Wenonah, and
Windom, as well as a portion of
Keewaydin.[20] The incumbent is Democrat Emily Koski, who was elected with 58.3% of the vote in 2021. Koski ran for re-election.