Twin Cities mayoral elections

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For the record:

Minneapolis:
(First preferences)

Democratic-Farmer-Labor    DICK FRANSON    1569   3.48   
Democratic-Farmer-Labor    R.T. RYBAK    33217   73.63   
Democratic-Farmer-Labor    AL FLOWERS    1782   3.95   
Socialist Workers    TOM FISKE    655   1.45   
Libertarian    CHRISTOPHER CLARK    1340   2.97   
Edgertonite National Party    JOHN CHARLES WILSON    134   0.30   
Is Awesome    JOEY LOMBARD    439   0.97
Independent Civic Leader    PAPA JOHN KOLSTAD    4948   10.97   
Social Entrepreneurship    JAMES R. EVERETT    354   0.78   
New Dignity Party    BILL MCGAUGHEY    230   0.51   
Moderate Progressive Censored    BOB CARNEY, JR.    229   0.51   
Write-In    WRITE-IN**    215   0.48

The guy I voted for is bolded. LOL. Anyway Rybak (who I voted for on the third choice) clearly won on the first ballot and is a good position to run for governor. He has my support as of now.

In St. Paul:

Nonpartisan    CHRISTOPHER B. COLEMAN    23380   68.68   
Nonpartisan    EVA NG    10496   30.83   
Write-In    WRITE-IN**    166   0.49

No surprises. Oh and by the way St. Paul has now also approved IRV:

Nonpartisan    YES    17083   52.45   
Nonpartisan    NO    15486   47.55

[Linus Van Pelt]

Did it really say "Moderate Progressive Censored"? Any idea what the guy actually submitted?

[minionofmidas]

Moderate Progressive Republican, IIRC, while not being a member of the Republican Party.

[minionofmidas]

The adorable crazyman communist was John Charles Wilson IIRC?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Moderate Progressive Republican, IIRC, while not being a member of the Republican Party.

Well we don't have party registration. The issue was that the city refused to allow him to put it down, saying that you could put down either a summary of your ideology or party, but not both, thus refusing to allow him to run under that ticket. He also sued the city but failed.

John Charles Wilson won my second preference.

[rob in cal]

Hello Purple Mountains,
I just discovered this thread.  Did you like the new IRV format, and also did you hear much feedback of what others in Minneapolis felt about it?  I wonder if the St Paul approval will help it spread elsewhere in Minnesota.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Hello Purple Mountains,

Just call me BRTD. I change my display name all the time.

I just discovered this thread.  Did you like the new IRV format, and also did you hear much feedback of what others in Minneapolis felt about it?

The lack of any real competitive elections didn't give me a chance to truly utilize it, although I'm sure Rybak will like bragging he got the votes from over 85% of the voters (including me, though I prefed him third.) The system was very simple and despite all the scaremongers claiming it was too complicated and old people would never get it everyone agrees it worked with few hitches. It's quite amazing many think the average voter is too dumb to understand putting your first preference in one column, your second in another, and your third in another.

I wonder if the St Paul approval will help it spread elsewhere in Minnesota.

The IP wants to implement IRV statewide as do many in the DFL, but the Republicans have been brutally fighting it. In fact the St. Paul IRV referendum was originally going to be in 2008, but the city fought it off the ballot, not because the city government is opposed to IRV but because they were worried about a costly legal battle to defend it. Many have fought it arguing it violates the state constitution and citing precedent for a system of voting Duluth implemented in the 30s the state Supreme Court struck down, though that was not IRV but some variation of Borda Count. Even with Minneapolis using it there are still challenges though the courts do appear to clearly hold that IRV is not unconstitutional.