by Erik Hare
Tuesday, September 15th, is election day in Saint Paul. It’s the Primary, which many people don’t think is a big deal – but it is the start of the official process we use to select the people that run our City and School Board. The system is a bit different from most places, but it’s very open and makes a lot of sense.
In July, anyone who lives in Saint Paul can file for the offices that are open. This year, that’s the four year term as Mayor, three of the seven four year School Board member terms, and a special election to fill the last two years of a vacant seat on the School Board left when Tom Conlon resigned. Four people filed for Mayor, so their names are all listed on the ballot in the Primary.
After the Primary next Tuesday, the top two candidates for Mayor will go on to the General election in November, regardless of any parties or other affiliations. The likely contenders are incumbent Mayor Chris Coleman, a DFLer (what we have for Democrats) and Eva Ng, an independent (what we have for Republicans, at least usually). The last time, there were two Democrats when Chris Coleman handily outscored incumbent Randy Kelly in the Primary, but it had to go on to the General to be official – Green Party member Elizabeth Dickinson came in a close third.
These non-partisan elections are a real feature of the City because while the parties are somewhat active in our politics, they are far from a deciding force. Candidates have to stand on their own, winning votes one knock on the door at a time. The DFL (Democratic Farmer-Labor party) often has an advantage in Saint Paul, but when two DFLers battle it out for one seat you can be sure that elections are contested and the issues are raised no matter what.
The School Board runs a bit differently. The three open seats go to the top three vote getters, and everyone can vote for up to three people. The Primary requires you to only be one of the top six, two for each seat, to go on to compete in the General. Because this is also non-partisan, everyone has to be on their toes and make their case just like any other candidates.
There are some people who think this system is a bit strange and expensive. In November, we’ll be voting on changing the City Charter to allow for one General Election using the IRV (Instant Runoff Voting) system where people rank candidates to allow their votes to go to a second or third choice. The debate over this is pretty intense and likely to heat up in the next two months. For now, we have the non-partisan Primary method and that day is upon us.
If you live in Saint Paul, please don’t forget to be informed about the candidates and vote this Tuesday! The non-partisan Primary may be a slightly strange system, but it’s ours. The next election you might get a chance to change it, if we want to go that way, but for now we have our own system. Be a part of it and vote!
