Minnesotans casted their vote to elect legislators, council members, and mayors on Nov 7. Melvin Carter won as mayor in St. Paul with 50.9% of the vote, replacing Chris Coleman. Coleman did not run again because he will be running for governor in 2018. Jacob Frey won as mayor in Minneapolis with 25% of the vote. Carter and Frey will be two of the youngest mayors in the history of the Twin Cities.

The Star Tribune endorsed Frey for Minneapolis and Pat Harris for St. Paul, although Harris ended up with less then half of Carter’s count.

This was a historic race in Minnesota because the state is now one of the first to use a ranked choice voting system. The new voting system allows for voters to have multiple choices in their candidate and makes it easier for candidates to win even if they don’t have a large percent of first choice supporters. In-depth results from the race with vote breakdowns per precinct are available on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

For many seniors, the 2017 elections were their first time voting in an official election. Even though it was an off season election, they still choose to have a say in their elected officials.

“It was a cool experience because I’ve always imagined voting but it’s also nerve wracking knowing I’m having an impact on the future of government in our city,” senior Naya Tadavarthy said.

While mayoral elections may play a small part in the future of our country, they can be instrumental in building a productive political system from the bottom to the top.

“I quick googled the rundown of each of the candidates and then furthered that knowledge by talking with my parents. I felt part of something bigger than myself.” Tadavarthy said.

Elected officials in Minnesota will assume office on Jan 1 2018.