City Council elections for Minneapolis are held on November 7. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and mail-in ballots will be due on the election day. Main points of concern are over police accountability in the wake of the George Floyd protests, what to do with unhoused encampments, and rising rent costs. Seniors who have turned 18 may vote in this election. There are four candidates for Ward 13, where Southwest High School is located:

• Linea Palmisano (Democrat, 47 years old) is the incumbent (currently elected) City Council member for Ward 13. She has done many things to increase public safety, police regulation, and access to affordable housing, but despite her progressive viewpoint, she often votes more moderately, such as supporting the clearing of unhoused encampments because of hopes for building more affordable housing, stopping rent cap policies, and supporting an increase in officer numbers at the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). 
• Zach Metzger (Democrat, 30 years old), currently a legislative aide, is a progressive BIPOC challenger for the incumbent who wants to hold the MPD accountable for their past and present actions, and sustainably build southwest Minneapolis to combat and adapt to climate change. He is against the eviction of encamped people, calling it “inhumane” and “extremely ineffective,” and supports rent caps as a temporary stopgap to homelessness. He wants to defund traditional law enforcement to fund non-traditional public safety responses. He would put public surveys in place to gauge his Ward’s opinion on how he should vote.

“THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A VOTE THAT DOESN’T MATTER.”  –BARACK OBAMA

• Kate Mortenson (Democrat, 57 years old), currently a business owner, is a moderate challenger for the incumbent in Ward 13. She focuses her platform more on police reform and crime reduction, and supports a larger police force. She has plans for adapting the city to climate change and repairing city infrastructure. She also supports spending millions of dollars each year clearing encampments.
• Bob Carney Jr. (Republican, 69 years old) is one of three Republicans running in this election for all Wards of Minneapolis. He is a moderate Republican who opposes far-right politicians and who proposes, if he is elected, to not take the Oath of Office, and instead to serve as an advisor to Linea Palmisano.

It’s a responsibility of the citizens of Ward 13 to vote responsibly, so those voting should familiarize themselves with the candidates to be a part of our democracy. Polling places can be found at pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us, and more info about early voting, voter registration, and mail-in voting can be found at https://vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/. Go vote!