Ranked Voting Information

St Paul Ranked Voting implementation costs - 2011 (pdf)

Falloff report - 2011 general election (pdf)

Ward 2 reallocation summary statement (pdf)

New Voting Method in 2011

In 2009, Saint Paul voters chose the Ranked Voting method to elect the mayor and members of the city council. Starting this year on Election Day, November 8, voters will be able to rank up to six different city candidates in order of preference.

The Saint Paul School Board will continue to use the traditional voting method.  The school board races will be located on the other side of the ballot. You may vote for up to four school board candidates.

Ranked Voting Videos

        Video #1- Marking the Ballot                Video #2- How are the Votes Counted? 

     Video # 3 - PSA on Ranked Voting                      Video #4 - Ranked Voting Information 

Ranked Voting Information Pamphlet

   English (pdf)                   Somali (pdf)                        Español (pdf)                     Hmoob (pdf) 

Frequently Asked Questions

Ranked Voting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Ranked Voting Sample Ballots

The candidates on these sample ballots are listed in the base rotation (the order that was chosen by lot). The ballot for your precinct could have a different candidate rotation. For a ballot specific to your precinct, please visit our Polling Place Finder.

             Ward 1                                        Ward 2                                           Ward 3 

             Ward 4                                          Ward 5                                       Ward 6

             Ward 7

How to Mark Your Ballot for City Council

The ballot will have two parts - one for the city council office and one for the school board office. For the city office only, voters will have the option to rank the candidates in order of their preference:

Do Not Make These Mistakes!

If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can request a new ballot from any election judge.  Absentee voters can call (651) 266-2171 or email elections@co.ramsey.mn.us to receive a new ballot.

Winning the Election

Candidates win the election by getting an absolute majority of the first choice votes cast for the office: 50% + 1.  The first choice votes will be counted by voting equipment at each polling place.  On election night, the vote totals will be available online at www.rcelections.org.

If no candidate gets a majority of first choice votes on election night, counting will resume on Monday, November 14.

In each round, the candidate receiving the fewest number of votes, plus all other candidates who do not have a mathematical chance to win, will be eliminated.  The voters' next highest choice for a candidate still in the running will be added to that candidate's vote total. 

Ballots that have no votes for a candidate still in the running are set aside.

The counting and reallocation continues in rounds until a candidate achieves a majority of votes.  If only two candidates remain and neither has achieved a majority of votes cast, then the candidate with the most votes is the winner.

Counting Examples (pdf)

Sample Reallocation Spreadsheet (pdf)

Ranked Voting Handouts

Information Packet for Campaigns (pdf)

Demonstration Ballot - 2011 City and School District General Election (pdf)

Saint Paul Ranked Voting Ordinance (pdf)

Saint Paul Ranked Voting Administrative Rules (pdf)