Ward 4 Climate Candidate Forum set
Unidos MN is hosting a Climate Candidate Forum for the open Ward 4 seat on May 27, 7-8 p.m., at Hamline United Methodist Church (1514 Englewood Ave). "This year the city council will make big …
Incitti drops out of Ward 4 race
The field for the Ward 4 council seat narrowed on April 30, 2025 when Cristin Incitti dropped out of the race. She has urged her supporters to vote for Molly Coleman. Also running is Cole Hanson . …
St. Paul City Council disagreement reaches boiling point behind closed doors
It’s hard to tell whether water is boiling when staring at a pot with a lid on it — until it boils over, that is. That analogy came to mind Wednesday, when a St. Paul City Council …
Ward 4 City Council seat 2025
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 …
Key election dates 2025
Date Deadline or event May 6 Notice of Filing posted. May 20 Filing period for August Local Primary & Ward 4 Special begins. …
St. Paul Mayoral Race 2025
Running in 2025 for the one-time, three-year mayoral term are: • Melvin Carter (incumbent) • Yan Chen
On the Ballot 2025
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 …
Saint Paul announces finalists for Ward 4 interim appointment
The Saint Paul City Council has selected four finalists for the interim Ward 4 Council member appointment. The four finalists are: • Sean Lim • Lisa Nelson • Matt Privratsky • …
Apply to be the interim Ward 4 Councilmember by 4:30 p.m. on March 13
position of Interim Councilmember, which will become available upon the departure of Councilmember Mitra Jalali on March 8, 2025.   The City Council is looking for applicants with a …
Molly Coleman runs for Ward 4 city council seat
Molly Coleman has announced her candidacy to represent Ward Four on the Saint Paul City Council. She currently lives in Saint Paul’s Hamline-Midway neighborhood with her husband and their son. …
2025 ELECTIONS

On the Ballot 2025

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.

St. Paul Mayoral Race 2025

Running in 2025 for the one-time, three-year mayoral term are:

Melvin Carter (incumbent)

Yan Chen

Ward 4 City Council seat 2025

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:

Chauntyll Allen

Molly Coleman

Cole Hanson

Cristin Incitti (dropped out April 30)

GET INFORMED

Vote 411

VOTE411 is committed to ensuring voters have the information they need to successfully participate in every election. Whether it's local, state or federal, every election is important to ensuring our laws and policies reflect the values and beliefs of our communities. More at www.vote411.org

RESOURCES

League of Women Voters St. Paul

A non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in all levels of government, works to increase understanding of major policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

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

St. Paul voting info

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

Secretary of State

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/

Elections: how they work

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 

Plan ahead

Key election dates 2025

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
What's it about?

Local government

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:  

  • County budget.
  • Roads maintenance.
  • Health and human services.
  • Public health.
  • Libraries.
  • Parks and nature preserves.
  • Recycling and refuse.
  • Elections and voting.
  • Veteran services.
  • Human services. 
  • Justice system.
  • Law enforcement.
  • Infrastructure.
Get involved

Be an election judge

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.

Learn more here.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ranked Choice Voting

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.