2021 Minneapolis City Council election

Minneapolis City Council election, 2021

← 2017 November 2, 2021 (2021-11-02) 2023 →
All 13 seats on the Minneapolis City Council 7 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	54.0% ( 11.6pp)
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lisa Bender (retiring) Robin Wonsley Worlobah Party Democratic (DFL) Democratic Socialists (DSA) Leader's seat Ward 10 Ward 2 Last election 12 seats, 82.69% 0 seats, did not contest Seats won 12 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 115,277 3,061 Percentage 86.0% 2.3%
Winning party's vote share by ward.
President before election Lisa Bender Democratic (DFL) Elected President Andrea Jenkins Democratic (DFL)

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v t e

The 2021 Minneapolis City Council elections was held 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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 Worlobah who beat incumbent Green Party council member Cam Gordon.

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.^[3] 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.^[4]