Ranked choice voting means no primary Tuesday in Mpls.

Normally in Minneapolis, the second Tuesday after Labor Day - in an election year like this one - would be Primary Day, but not this year. Voters who show up at their normal polling places Tuesday will be greeted by a sign that says "There is no primary today."

"So don't come to the polls to vote," advised the city's interim elections director, Pat O'Conner. "One of the elements of ranked choice voting is that we have no primary."

Indeed, this fall's election for mayor, city council, parks board, and taxation board will be the first election in which Minneapolis voters rank their choices. Voters decided three years ago to adopt the new system, which also is called instant runoff voting, which means primaries are a thing of the past.

Now every single candidate running for those offices will show up on the ballot in November. And voters, instead of voting for one candidate in each position, will rank their top three choices.

"The ballot will be full, and it will show all of the candidates for all of the 22 seats in Minneapolis that are up for election, plus a ballot question," O'Connor said.

The city has launched an education campaign online (http://www.voteminneapolis.org), and through public meetings, to teach voters about the new system.

Under ranked choice voting, If no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, those second- and third-choice votes get counted until, eventually, there's a winner.

It will be a time consuming process.  Right now, Minneapolis doesn't have machines to count ranked-choice votes, so ballots will get counted by hand.  That means the media most likely won't be able to call winners and losers on Election Night.

"Sometime in mid-December, we will have all of the races finalized in terms of the count, and the results be released as soon as we have them," O'Connor said.

For now, he said, the most important thing to remember is: Don't go to the polls Tuesday.  Because there is no primary.

Opponents of ranked choice voting sued to block it, claiming it is unconstitutional, but lost their court battle.

Saint Paul voters will decide in November if municipal elections in their city, as well, should begin using ranked-choice ballots instead of traditional ones.

For more information: http://www.voteminneapolis.org

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