Learn about the Issues and Candidates on your Ballot
This fall’s election is full of important races and ballot measures that will impact the future of our City. Three charter amendments will determine the future of public safety, rent control, and the structure of our local government. Additionally, offices on the ballot include Mayor, City Council, Park Board, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation. As your neighborhood association, we partnered with other Minneapolis neighborhoods to host several nonpartisan election forums (Ward 11 City Council, District 6 Park Board, and Charter Amendment details below) to help you make your voting decisions. Find your polling location, view a sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, register to vote, and more at mnvotes.org.
Charter Amendment Education and Forum
This fall, Minneapolis votes on three charter amendments that will determine the future of public safety, rent control, and the structure of our local government. Confused? The Charter Education Team, a partnership of Southwest Minneapolis Neighborhood Organizations including Tangletown, hosted a public forum about these amendments on October 16. You can view the recording of the forum here. Advocates in favor of and opposed to each charter amendment will make their case, and help you decide which way to vote. Additionally our Charter Education Team has put together a handout that includes the ballot language and bullet point arguments for both sides of each amendment, check it out here.
Public forum speakers included:
- JaNae Bates from Yes 4 Minneapolis (Stance: For Department of Public Safety), a coalition of residents, neighbors, businesses, organizations, faith communities, and families across the city who are seeking to create a safe Minneapolis and to change the Minneapolis charter to create a Department of Public Safety.
- Sondra Samuels with Mpls Together (Stance: Against Department of Public Safety), a coalition of DFL activists, labor unions, community leaders, and residents from across Minneapolis who are working to elect leaders and enact changes that promote accountability of candidates and elected officials and who are advocating to keep the Minneapolis Police Department in place and to instill just and accountable policing in Minneapolis.
- Walter Rockenstein from Charter for Change (Stance: For Change in Government Structure), an organization of Minneapolis residents, organizations and businesses, affiliated with Minneapolis Together who are advocating for a change in Minneapolis government structure as to make it more efficient and equitable.
- David Fey from ISAIAH/Faith in Minnesota (Stance: Against Change in Government Structure), a faith-based coalition of communities who are fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.
- Qannani Omar from Minneapolis United for Rent Control (MURC) (Stance: For Rent Stabilization Policies), an organization that is advocating for a strong rent control policy, free from corporate loopholes, covering all renters, and tying rent increases to the cost of living.
- Cecil Smith from Minnesota Multi Housing Association (MHA) (Stance: Against Rent Stabilization Policies), a coalition of the state’s largest apartment management companies, developers, common interest communities, and providers of related products and services (managers of properties) who are supporting the multi-housing industry.
Learn more about the proposed amendments and how they will alter the Charter, if passed here, in a presentation by Minneapolis City Clerk Casey Carl at a Kingfield board meeting.
This event was hosted in partnership with Tangletown, Kingfield, Lyndale, East Maka Ska, Kenny, Armatage, Lynnhurst, Fulton, Lowry Hill East, Linden Hills, South Uptown, West Maka Ska, Hale Page Diamond Lake, and Cedar Isles Dean Neighborhood Associations.
Ward 11 City Council Candidate Forum Recording
On September 15, the five candidates for Ward 11 City Council discussed the issues at our non-partisan candidate forum. You can view the recording of the forum here. We’re grateful to the League of Women Voters Minneapolis who moderated the forum and our partnering neighborhoods who cosponsored with us: Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, Hale Page Diamond Lake Community Association, and Windom Community Council.
District 6 Park Board Commissioner Candidate Forum Recording
On September 28, the four candidates for District 6 of the Minneapolis Park Board discussed the issues at our non-partisan candidate forum. You can view the recording of the forum here. We’re grateful to the League of Women Voters Minneapolis who moderated the forum and our partnering neighborhoods who cosponsored with us: East Harriet Farmstead, South Uptown, Linden Hills, Kingfield, Lyndale, Armatage, Fulton, Kenny, Lynnhurst, and West Maka Ska neighborhood associations.