An election were held in Minneapolis on November 2, 2021, to elect representatives for all 13 wards of the Minneapolis City Council. These elections occurred alongside the mayoral race and several other municipal offices, including Park Board and Board of Estimate and Taxation positions. The council elections were conducted using a ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballots.
Amid a backdrop of significant local and national events, including the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, candidates across the wards ran on various platforms, addressing key issues such as public safety reform, housing, economic recovery, and the city's approach to policing.
The DFL garnered an overwhelming 85% of the 1st choice votes, a 3 percentage point increase from the previous election. The remaining seat was taken by Democratic Socialist candidate Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), who beat incumbent Green Party council member Cam Gordon in one of the only two known Condorcet cycles in United States electoral history.
Overall, moderates gained a net one seat on the 13-member council. This change suggests that moderates will have increased influence over key decisions on issues such as police reform and rent control. While progressives managed to secure seats in Wards 1 and 9, they suffered losses in Wards 3, 4, and 11, where moderate challengers defeated progressive incumbents who had supported the now-failed charter amendment to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
The 13 members of the City Council are elected from single-member districts via instant-runoff voting, commonly known as ranked choice voting. Voters have the option of ranking up to three candidates in order of preference. Municipal elections in Minnesota are officially nonpartisan, although candidates are able to identify with a political party on the ballot. Write-in candidates must file a request with the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division for votes for them to be counted.
The election in Ward 2 exhibited one of the only two known Condorcet cycles in United States electoral history, with a narrow circular tie between Arab, Gordon, and Wonsley. Arab was preferred over Gordon by a 51.3% majority, Gordon was preferred over Wonsley by 50.5%, and Wonsley was preferred over Arab by 50.1%. Additionally, the election exhibited a downward monotonicity paradox, as well as a paradox akin to SimpsonâÂÂs paradox. However, according to Minneapolis' ranked choice voting tabulation process, Wonsley narrowly won with 42.6% of final round votes (or 50.09% of unexhausted ballots).