How will the Vote be Counted?

The counting procedures work differently under a ranked choice voting election. On election night, ballot counting machines will be used to provide unofficial first round results. A hand count will be required in all races to obtain the official results. Beginning the day after the election, City Elections staff must conduct several administrative procedures before a hand count can begin. Then the hand-counting of each of the 22 offices on the ballot can begin.

In Minneapolis, Ranked Choice Voting will use the voting and counting method known as Single Transferable Vote for single seat offices as well as multiple seat offices.

For single seat offices (Mayor, City Council , and Park Board)

All the ballots are sorted and counted, and the first choice votes are tallied. If no candidate receives the required number of votes to win, the winner is selected through a series of rounds. First, candidates who received the lowest number of votes are eliminated. Next, voters who cast votes for eliminated candidates will have their votes redistributed to their next choice.

For single seat offices, a candidate who receives 50% of the vote plus one vote is elected. If there are only two candidates left and neither has 50% plus one, the candidate with the most votes is elected.

Results on MyFOX9.com

MyFOX9.COM is only reporting the results of “First Choice” votes, as Second and Third choice votes will only be used if a candidate doesn’t reach the required threshold. How those results matter to the final vote will be part of an extensive hand-recount of each ballot. Those final results are expected by December 21.

Download a map of the Minneapolis city wards | PDF